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Black Eyed Susan, a summer flower. The plant was thought to be an herbal medicine by Native American for various ailments.

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July 11, 2021, Pentecost 7

July 11 – 11:00am, Holy Eucharist. In person in the church or on Zoom. – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278

• Bulletin
• Sermon
• Pentecost 7 Sunday readings
• Lectionary discussion
• Videos, July 11
• Photos, July 11
• Description, July 11

July 11 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

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July 12 – 6:30am – Be Still Meditation group in a 20 minute time of prayer Meeting ID: 879 8071 6417 Passcode: 790929

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Bible Study on Wednesday is back, July 14, 10:00am -12pm – In Person!

July 14 – 5:00pm-6:30pm, Village Dinner

Call Susan Linne von Berg to make your reservation. Menu: Barbecue ribs, baked beans, potato salad, corn on the cob, dessert. Take out and dine in!

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July 18 – 11:00am, Holy Eucharist

July 18 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

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Donating Hand Sanitizer to Caroline’s Promise – By July 18

We have frequently partnered with Caroline’s Promise over the years. This year, we are helping out with the school supply drive to benefit our Caroline County students.

St Peter’s will be donating HAND SANITIZER. Our goal is to contribute 250 bottles to be distributed to students along with other school supplies on Saturday, July 31st. Bring your donation of hand sanitizer to church and place in the back pew no later than Sunday, July 18th.

Caroline’s Promise works to help young people in Caroline County to succeed by providing a healthy start and future, one of their five promises. You can read more about Caroline’s Promise.

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Lectionary, July 18 , 8th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B

I. Theme –  God’s care for us all

"Sheep in Paradise" from Basilica of Sant’ Apollinare in Classe, 549, Ravenna, Italy

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

Old Testament – Jeremiah 23:1-6
Psalm – Psalm 23, Page 612, BCP
Epistle –Ephesians 2:11-22
Gospel – Mark 6:30-34, 53-56  

Today’s readings remind us of the care that God constantly exerts on our behalf. Jeremiah uses the image of God as a shepherd to describe how God will gather the people.  Paul explains the reconciling work of Christ, who is the peace between Gentiles and Jews. Jesus has compassion on the crowds of people, who remind him of sheep without a shepherd.With compassion, Jesus saw the multitude “like sheep without a shepherd,” and he bade them to sit down in that green pasture to be rested and fed.  The story leads up to the feeding of the 5,000 at the end of the month. The event on the hillside is a prefiguration of the messianic banquet to which all people may come to eat the bread of life. This bread, broken for us, is enough for all at present, with much left over for future throngs. 

The scripture implies that a great spiritual hunger had brought the crowd to Jesus, for “he began to teach them many things,” until it grew late. He had very likely told this people that God loved each of them and that the gates of the kingdom were open to all. Whatever human condition was their own, they were not beyond God’s care and acceptance.  

These were the crowds of people who may have been poor and sick, people who suffered and had no leadership to speak for them, to bring them hope and healing, and Jesus has seen them for who they are. Jesus and the disciples had hoped to escape the crowds and have a time of rest but Jesus saw the needs of the people were greater than the needs of himself and his disciples, for the people were sick, lonely, hopeless and hungry.  

The miracle of the loaves points to the greatest miracle of all, which is described later in Ephesians. There were no “dividing walls” at the feeding–no barriers of legal, social or religious foundation. The multitude sat at Jesus’ feet, looking to him to fill their need. Jesus was a son and teacher of Israel, the first people to whom God was revealed, the first people entrusted with God’s oracles and ordinances. We, the Gentiles, know ourselves to be those who were far off, “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel,” and “separated from Christ” in the beginning. But his peace has come for all. He is the one who unites all the families of the nations. Through him both Jews and Gentiles have access to the Father.

Read more about the lectionary…

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The relationship between Psalm 23 and Mark’s Gospel 

From Disclosing New Worlds – Lawrence Moore

"I find it striking that Mark groups three events that belong together (the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus walking on water and the healing of the sick at Gennesaret) in ways which carry unmistakeable echoes of Psalm 23… it is merely to point out that the movement of Psalm 23 is a useful picture of the movement of the gospel passage.

"Let’s look at the parallels. To start with, having Yahweh as Shepherd means that the flock will ‘not want’. Yahweh is the Shepherd-provider, who ‘makes the sheep lie down in green pastures’. Jesus, similarly, elects to be shepherd to the people in the wilderness (v34). Not only does Jesus begin to teach them (ie give them the ‘leading’ or direction they are lacking) but, in preparation for feeding them, orders the people to sit down on the green grass (v39). It is interesting that Mark mentions the green grass specifically: they are in the wilderness, but Jesus has led them to ‘green grass’ within that hostile environment. This is a place of peace, safety and provision: it is here that the desperate ‘sheep’ will be fed.

"Psalm 23 goes on to celebrate Yahweh’s protection, even in ‘the valley of the shadow of death’. Having been fed, the disciples in the story find themselves in life-threatening circumstances. They are trying to row across the lake to Bethsaida, but unable to make any headway because they are rowing into the wind. Mark, of course, attaches narrative symbolic significance to the lake crossings. Importantly, too, storms at sea evoke the primeval chaos of Genesis 1:2, and symbolise the power of the Strong Man. That they are ‘natural’ powers is Mark emphasising symbolically that the world (which ought to be the Kingdom of God) is in the grip of powers over which human beings have no control. This is the ‘valley of the shadow of death’.

"Psalm 23 ends with a celebration of Yahweh’s goodness and mercy. To be part of Yahweh’s flock is to live a life that is truly blessed. It is to have Yahweh’s constant presence. Yahweh is the God-who-saves. The gospel passage closes with Jesus and the disciples landing at Gennesaret; the people’s response is to rush around and bring the sick people to him for healing. ‘Goodness and mercy will trail around after me all my life’, says the psalmist. In the gospel story, those who touch the trailing fringe of Jesus’ cloak are healed. Jesus is God’s goodness and mercy incarnate.

"Why does Mark make a point of recording Jesus’ reaction to the crowds in terms of being like sheep without a shepherd? Note that his reaction is driven by compassion (Mark 6:34). ‘Compassion’ is an Exodus word. Compassion is the foundation of Yahweh’s ‘goodness and mercy’; Yahweh’s liberating salvation. The story of the Exodus itself starts with Yahweh ‘hearing the groans of the Hebrew slaves’; Yahweh’s compassion is engaged, so that Yahweh ‘looked upon the Israelites, and Yahweh took notice of them’ (Exodus 2:24). Yahweh saves because Yahweh is touched by suffering. Yahweh provides bread in the wilderness because Yahweh has ‘compassion’.

"It is difficult to miss the echoes of the Exodus story here. Mark’s Jesus is the Son of God – the one whose person and actions mirror and portray God. Jesus is presented as God’s compassion and liberating power in action. His mission of the Kingdom is a mission of liberation from all that enslaves. The subsequent feeding story – the miraculous feeding of 5,000 Jewish men in the wilderness – echoes the story of Yahweh’s provision of manna in the wilderness. Jesus is present among the needy of Israel: it’s Exodus time!"

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Psalm 23 – Not just for funerals

By Emily Heath, enior Pastor of The Congregational Church in Exeter, New Hampshire.

"Almost every time I plan a funeral, the reading of Psalm 23 is requested. It’s probably the one Psalm we all know more than any of the others, and there is something comforting about reading it while we mourn: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…"

"But that Psalm 23 has been relegated mostly to funerals is a tragedy. Because, to me, this Psalm isn’t about death; it’s about living fearlessly and in abundance.

"The shepherd of the Psalm, God, is described as someone who can lead us through the scariest of places, all the while casting aside our fear. And God fills our cups, not just until there is enough, but until they overflow with so much goodness that we can’t help but share it.

"I think churches could learn from this. Because in a time when so many churches are drawing inward, afraid of an unknown future, and clinging to the "hope" of austerity measures, the Psalm offers us a radical alternative. Don’t live in fear. Live in faith. And follow the one who can lead you through the darkest valleys and make them seem like they were well-lit sidewalks."

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Turning Lost Sheep into Shepherds

Article from Faith and Leadership. The story of Tierra Nueva

"An ecumenical ministry in rural Washington state helps Latin American immigrants, migrant workers, gang members, addicts, jail inmates and people who have been incarcerated become leaders in their own community."

"Tierra Nueva is headquartered in a 100-year-old former bank building in rural Burlington, Washington. The first floor, repurposed into a simple worship space and family support center, is a mishmash of sleeper couches, desks, bookshelves and cardboard boxes. On one wall, a mural depicts Jesus as a brown-skinned man channeling healing waters, which swirl around a scene filled with people — imprisoned behind bars, entangled in ropes and chains, toiling in green fields, embracing one another, kneeling in prayer. The painting symbolizes the mission of this ecumenical ministry, which serves people on the margins of society — Latin American immigrants, migrant workers, gang members, addicts, jail inmates and people who have been incarcerated, as well as people in the mainstream.

"Originally focused on jail ministry and immigrant assistance, Tierra Nueva’s mission has grown to encompass gang ministry, drug and alcohol recovery, job creation and theological education as well. Farming and a coffee-roasting social enterprise provide meaningful work and income for people the ministry serves.

"Founder Bob Ekblad’s hope is to see more people empowered as leaders to help liberate those in need within their very own communities.

“To me, that involves bringing together Scripture, Holy Spirit and social justice advocacy in a missional community model,” he said.

Read more

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The Gospel Setting   – Mark 6:30-34 

By Debie S Thomas  for Journey with Jesus 

Icon of Christ the healer

"Mark 6:30-34 describes the return of the disciples from their first ministry tour — their inauguration into apostleship. Exhilarated and exhausted, they have stories to tell Jesus — thrilling stories of healings, exorcisms, and effective evangelistic campaigns. Perhaps there are darker stories in the mix as well — stories of failure and rejection. Hard stories they need to process privately with their Teacher. 

"Whatever the case, Jesus senses that the disciples need a break. They’re tired, overstimulated, underfed, and in significant need of solitude. 

"Jesus, meanwhile, is not in top form himself. He has just lost John the Baptist, his beloved cousin and prophet, the one who baptized him and spent a lifetime in the wilderness preparing his way. Worse, Jesus has lost him to murder, a terrifying reminder that God’s beloved are not immune to violent, senseless deaths. Maybe Jesus’ own end feels closer. In any case, he’s heartbroken. 

"Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile," he says to his disciples as the crowds throng around them at the edge of the Sea of Galilee. "Come away with me," is how another translation puts it, and I hear both tenderness and longing in those words. Yes, Jesus wants to provide a time of rest and recuperation for his friends. But he’s weary, himself; the hunger he articulates here is his own.

"…He’s also like us in that sometimes, his best-laid plans go awry. According to St. Mark, Jesus’ retreat-by-boat idea fails. The crowds anticipate his plan, and follow on foot. By the time he and his disciples reach their longed-for destination, the crowds are waiting, and the quiet sanctuary Jesus seeks is nowhere to be found. Maybe what he faces isn’t quite the urban onslaught of Calcutta, but it’s definitely a first-century wilderness equivalent.  

"Does Jesus run? Does he turn the boat around and sail away? No. As Mark puts it, "Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things." 

"But once again, according to Mark 6:53-56, the crowds anticipate Jesus’ plan, and word spreads. As soon as the boat lands at Gennesaret, the crowds go wild, pushing and jostling to get close to Jesus. They carry their sick to him on mats. In every village and city Jesus approaches, swarms of people needing healing line the marketplaces. They press against him. They plead. They beg to touch the fringe of his robe and receive healing.  

"Jesus’ response? Once again, his response is compassion. "All who touched him were healed.   

"Lesson One for me?  Pay more attention to the "throwaway" passages in the Gospels, those little transition verses which often precede or follow the "main events" of Jesus’ life story.  Passages like Luke 5:16: "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."  Or Mark 11:12: "The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry."  Or Matthew 8:24: "Jesus was sleeping."  Or Mark 7:24: "He didn’t want anyone to know which house he was staying in."

"In these "minor" verses, I see essential glimpses of Jesus’ human life — the life I can relate to most readily.  His need to withdraw, his desire for solitary prayer, his physical hunger, his sleepiness, his inclination to hide.

"These glimpses take nothing away from Jesus’ divinity; they enhance it, making it richer and all the more mysterious.  They remind me that the doctrine of the Incarnation truly is Christianity’s best gift to the world.  God — the God of the whole universe — hungers, sleeps, eats, rests, withdraws, and grieves.  In all of these mundane but crucial ways, our God is like us."

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Err on the Side of Compassion  

By Debie S. Thomas "Come Away with Me" for Journey with Jesus

Debie relates a recent visit to Calcutta, India to the Gospel reading this week 

"One of the visits my family made in Calcutta is to "Mother House," the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity, and the home where Mother Teresa lived, served, died, and is now laid to rest. We saw the tiny bedroom where she slept from the 1950s until her death in 1997. We saw her tomb, now a place of pilgrimage and silent meditation for people of all faiths. We saw countless photographs of Mother Teresa out among the poor she spent her days and nights serving. Jostling crowds. Outstretched hands. Noisy and desperate petitions. An endless cacophony of need.  

"Ten years after her death, Mother’s Teresa’s private letters to her spiritual advisors were published in a volume entitled, Come Be My Light, and the struggle those letters revealed shocked both admirers and critics of Calcutta’s 20th-century saint. Contrary to popular belief, Mother Teresa did not enjoy perpetual — or even frequent — spiritual bliss as she went about doing the "Lord’s work." Instead, she experienced despair, doubt, loneliness, and the seeming abandonment of God. Her "dark night of the soul" lasted for decades.

" Often in her letters, she berated herself for this "darkness," until finally, she came to believe that God was allowing her to identify intimately with the suffering of those he had called her to serve. For Mother Teresa, compassion was neither straightforward nor comfortable. It was birthed in her at great cost. Wrenched from her through darkness and pain.

" My own in-laws have served as missionaries in Calcutta for close to five decades. My father-in-law’s efforts to share Christ’s love with his adopted city have been tireless. As a preacher, a mentor, a Bible School principal, and an evangelist, he has blessed more people than any of us in the family can count. Meanwhile, the needy strangers my mother-in-law has welcomed, fed, sheltered, and mothered over the years number in the thousands. Growing up, my husband often called his home, "Grand Central Station." It was perpetually full of guests.

Read more …

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Excerpts from Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the "Saint of Calcutta", Mother Teresa  

“The smile that covered a "multitude of pains" was no hypocritical mask. She was trying to hide her sufferings – even from God! – so as not to make others, especially the poor, suffer because of them. When she promised to do "a little extra praying & smiling" for one of her friends, she was alluding to an acutely painful and costly sacrifice: to pray when prayer was so difficult and to smile when her interior pain was agonizing.”

― Brian Kolodiejchuk, Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the "Saint of Calcutta"

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“There is so much deep contradiction in my soul. Such deep longing for God – so deep that it is painful – a suffering continual – and yet not wanted by God – repulsed – empty – no faith – no love – no zeal. Souls hold no attraction – Heaven means nothing – to me it looks like an empty place – the thought of it means nothing to me and yet this torturing longing for God. Pray for me please that I keep smiling at Him in spite of everything. For I am only His – so He has every right over me. I am perfectly happy to be nobody even to God. . . .

Your devoted child in J.C.M. Teresa”

― Brian Kolodiejchuk, Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the "Saint of Calcutta

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" “Don’t look for big things, just do small things with great love…the smaller the thing, the greater must be our love.”

― Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta

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“Our poor people are great people, a very lovable people, They don’t need our pity and sympathy. They need our understanding love and they need our respect. We need to tell the poor that they are somebody to us that they, too, have been created, by the same loving hand of God, to love and be loved.”

― Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta

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Summer Diversions – "The Red Wheelbarrow"  

"so much depends
upon 

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens."
 

The poem is "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams, 1883 – 1963.

Williams called this poem "quite perfect" and since its publication in 1923 it has been a staple of classrooms.  People have wondered " Where is this wheelbarrow and who owned it ?" But now 90 years later the owner of the wheelbarrow has been identified.

On July 18, 2015, in a moment of belated poetic justice, a stone was laid on the otherwise unmarked grave of Thaddeus Marshall, an African-American street vendor from Rutherford, N.J., noting his unsung contribution to American literature.

William Logan a professor at the University of Florida has  published an essay on the poem in the most recent issue of the literary journal Parnassus It considers the poem from seemingly every conceivable angle. But also traces back the owner of the wheelbarrow. The story is the subject of a NY Times book review article.

Read more about the wheelbarrow

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July 4 – Celebrating Independence

1. Religion in the Declaration

2. The Real Purpose of the Declaration

3. The Signers – by the Numbers

Celebrating Independence in 2019

Read the story and look at the pictures

July 4, 2021

July 4 – 11:00am, Holy Eucharist. In person in the church or on Zoom. – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278

• Bulletin
• Sermon
• Pentecost 6 Sunday readings
• Lectionary discussion
• Looking back to June, July 2016

• Videos, July 4
• Photos, July 4
• Coffee Hour returns, July 4

July 4 – 12pm. July 4 picnic sponsored by the Episcopal Men.

July 4 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

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July 5 – 6:30am – Be Still Meditation group in a 20 minute time of prayer Meeting ID: 879 8071 6417 Passcode: 790929

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July 7 – 10:00am-12pm, Bible Study on Wednesday is back – in person!

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July 11 – 11:00am, Holy Eucharist

Bring your donations of hand sanitizer to the church for Caroline’s Promise

July 11 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

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Looking back to the beginning of Summer, 2016, 5 years ago

Traveling back in time for June and July, 2016 marks the transition from spring to summer. We have a slide show and a description.

 Look back to June, July 2016(full size gallery)

Here are some of the events that happened over the 2 month period:

1. Altarpiece center portion and other sections completed so scaffolding could be removed in July
A. July 21, 2016
B. July 13, 2016
C. July 3, 2016
D. June 26, 2016
E. June 11, 2016
F. June 11, 2016
F. June 9, 2016
G. June 6, 2016

2. Church steeple top and parish house painted

3. Vacation Bible school for 4 days, led by Becky Fisher with a program focusing on the resurrection of Jesus

4. Training for acolytes occurred

5. Village Harvest continued with the largest produce distribution in July -We gave out 1277 pounds of produce and 315 pounds of things like peanut butter, canned fruit, tuna, etc. on July 20, 2016. The amount of produce was a record produce distribution in the history of this ministry.

6. Village Harvest Luncheon. We invited a group from the Village Harvest food distribution to meet with parishioners for overall fellowship as well as to see their needs in relationship to the existing Village Harvest program which has been ongoing since Nov. 2014. How well is it going ? Any changes ? We had 11 from the food distribution and 9 from St. Peter’s.

7. Callie completed her service with Godly Play on July 17. She preached and there was a reception. Marilyn provided the communion music on her new harp. It was a plain song that could have been heard at St. Peter’s at the time the altarpiece was created (1853).

8. We received materials from Nepal commemorating our work with that country

9. July 4, 2016. The venue of the program presented by Historic Port Royal was switched to St. Peter’s because of the impending rain.

10. Shrine Mont received matching grant of $50,000—And we can help match this grant.

11. Ken started up Port Royal Tutoring this time with a focus on high school juniors and rising seniors who take the PSAT test, emphasizing math

12. Continuing – the beautiful light in the church, Cookie’s altar flowers

13. Reappearance of our first Godly Play teacher, Amy Turner who was just hired in Florida as a chaplain

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Donating Hand Sanitizer to Caroline’s Promise

We have frequently partnered with Caroline’s Promise over the years. This year, we are helping out with the school supply drive to benefit our Caroline County students.

St Peter’s will be donating HAND SANITIZER. Our goal is to contribute 250 bottles to be distributed to students along with other school supplies on Saturday, July 31st. Bring your donation of hand sanitizer to church and place in the back pew no later than Sunday, July 18th.

Caroline’s Promise works to help young people in Caroline County to succeed by providing a healthy start and future, one of their five promises. You can read more about Caroline’s Promise.

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Lectionary, July 11 , 7th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
 

I. Theme –  Participation in Christ’s Ministry and Mission

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

Old Testament – Amos 7:7-15
Psalm – Psalm 85:8-13 Page 709, BCP
Epistle –Ephesians 1:3-14
Gospel – Mark 6:14-29  

Today’s readings invite us to reflect on our participation in Christ’s mission and ministry. A unifying theme in today’s scriptures is that when we try to be people-pleasers, when we say what others want to hear, we are denying the fullness of God’s intention for us. Rather, when we give ourselves over to God–when we authentically praise God with our words, our actions, our very lives–we find our own fulfillment and satisfaction in participating in God’s reign on earth. However, if we are like Herod, wanting to hear the word of God but wanting to please others, we end up doing things contrary to the Gospel. We talk the talk but don’t walk the walk, so to speak. God’s desire for us is the fullness of life, and in order to achieve that we must give ourselves fully to God’s ways of justice, love and peace.

Sometimes, like Amos, following God’s call is very difficult, even life-threatening. Amos defends his prophetic calling in the face of opposition from Israel’s rulers. In 2 Samuel, David brings the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem with song and dancing. The author of Ephesians reminds us that God has chosen us from the beginning to share in the redemptive work of Christ. Jesus instructs and sends out twelve disciples to share in his ministry.

We might expect a drum roll, or at least a lightning flash, when God chooses human beings to participate in God’s work. Yet in today’s readings we see a more human, humble face of the choice described so beautifully to the Ephesians. God “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.”

Amos is an example of the lord’s stamp of destiny on responsive people, whom God may call from any modest quarter, fill with the Holy Spirit, and commission to speak God’s word. Amos had no credentials as a prophet, and sounds rather bewildered that he was called away from his sheep and sycamores. Nevertheless, he had no doubt that he had been divinely called to speak God’s word.

Like the people in Nazareth who turned a deaf ear to Jesus, so Amos’s listeners rejected his unpopular message. In less than fifty years, however, his prediction came true.

When Jesus sent out twelve disciples, they were ill-equipped by our standards—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, no extra clothes. Only sandals on their feet—to carry them to the receptive and away from the unreceptive; and a staff—a support for walking and perhaps a symbol of the shepherd’s profession. Neither were they prepared for their mission by understanding fully what it was all about. Jesus sent them out with a message that had made him offensive even to his own family. Yet something about him must have impelled them to go forth with the same message.

How then do we follow their model? Perhaps they show us that we needn’t have our own houses perfectly in order before we minister to others. Nor do we need to spruce up our credentials: apparently none of the disciples took theology courses in the seminary. Jesus calls them in their ordinary clothes, pursuing their usual routines. To do his work, it seems more important to have a companion than a new wardrobe.

Their willingness enables them to drive out demons and cure the sick. They discover powers they didn’t know they had. And people knew there had been followers of Jesus among them. These disciples had been chosen for an astonishing destiny.

Read more about the lectionary…

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David Lose on Mark’s Death of John the Baptist story

David Lose is a Lutheran minister

"Close reader’s of Mark’s story have noticed several things about this scene over the years that make it stand out: it’s one of the longest sustained narrative scenes in the Gospel, Jesus does not appear in it at all, it seems to interrupt the flow of the rest of the story, and it’s told in flashback, the only time that Mark employs such a device. Because of these features, the scene is not only as suspenseful and ultimately grisly as anything on television, but it is unlike anything else in Mark’s account and seems almost out of place, even misplaced as a story looking for another narrative home.  

" Which has occasioned the question over the years as to why Mark reports it at all. Later evangelists must have asked the same question, as Matthew shortens it markedly and Luke omits it altogether. The majority opinion is that it serves two key purposes in Mark: it foreshadows Jesus’ own grisly death and it serves as an interlude between Jesus’ sending of the disciples and their return some unknown number of days or weeks later.

" But while these are undoubtedly plausible explanations, I think there’s another reason altogether, and that’s simply to draw a contrast between the two kinds of kingdoms available to Jesus disciples, both then and ever since. Consider: Mark, tells this story as a flashback, out of its narrative sequence, which means he could have put this scene anywhere. But he puts it here, not simply between the sending and receiving of the disciples but, more specifically, just after Jesus has commissioned his disciples to take up the work of the kingdom of God and when he then joins them in making that kingdom three-dimensional, tangible, and in these ways seriously imaginable.

"Herod’s Kingdom – the kingdom of the world and, for that matter, Game of Thrones and all the other dramas we watch because they mirror and amplify the values of our world – is dominated by the will to power, the will to gain influence over others. This is the world where competition, fear and envy are the coins of the realm, the world of not just late night dramas and reality television but also the evening news, where we have paraded before us the triumphs and tragedies of the day as if they are simply givens, as if there is no other way of being in the world and relating to each other.

Read more from David Lose…

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Amos or Amaziah?

By Dan Clendenin for Journey with Jesus

Amos, Cologne Cathedral, 12th century

"It’s hard to read Mark 6 about the beheading of John the Baptist and not think about the grotesque images of ISIS. Whatever else ISIS is doing, it’s pimping religion for a political cause.  

"And that’s exactly what this week’s reading from Amos is about.  

"Amos wrote 2,800 years ago, but his prophecy reads like today’s newspaper. He lived under king Jeroboam II, who reigned for forty-one years (786–746 BC). Jeroboam’s kingdom was characterized by territorial expansion, aggressive militarism, and unprecedented economic prosperity.  

"Times were good. Or so people thought.  

"The people of the day interpreted their good fortune as God’s favor. Amos says that the people were intensely and sincerely religious.  

"But theirs was a privatized religion of personal benefit. They ignored the poor, the widow, the alien, and the orphan. Their form of religion degraded faith to culturally acceptable rituals.  

"Making things worse, Israel’s religious leaders sanctioned the political and economic status quo. They pimped their religion for Jeroboam’s empire.  

"Enter Amos. Amos preached from the pessimistic and unpatriotic fringe. He was blue collar rather than blue blooded. He admits that he was neither a prophet nor even the son of a prophet in the professional sense of the term.  

"Amos was a shepherd, a farmer, and a tender of fig trees. He was a small town boy who grew up in Tekoa, about twelve miles southeast of Jerusalem and five miles south of Bethlehem. The cultured elites despised him as a redneck.  

"Furthermore, he was an unwelcome outsider. Born in the southern kingdom of Judah, God called him to thunder a prophetic word to the northern kingdom of Israel.

Read more about Amos

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June 28, 2015, just after 8:30am after a rain.

June flowers, before the month ends.

June 27 – 11:00am, Holy Eucharist. In person in the church or on Zoom. – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278

• Bulletin
• Sermon
• Pentecost 5 Sunday readings

• Videos, June 27
• Photos

June 27 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 878 7167 9302 Password 729195

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June 28 – 6:30am – Be Still Meditation group in a 20 minute time of prayer Meeting ID: 879 8071 6417 Passcode: 790929

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July 1 – 10:00am – Committal service for Nancy Wick

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July 4 – 11:00am, Holy Eucharist

July 4 – 12:00pm, A July 4 picnic!

July 4 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

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We did it! We made our goal of $3,000 collected for school supplies for Victoria Primary School in Jamaica. The first group of supplies are on their way. Thanks to those who contributed and those who prayed for success of the project.

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June 29 – Feast of Peter and Paul

Make a Gift Today! Help our ministries make a difference during the Pandemic 1. Newcomers – Welcome Page 2. Contact the Rev Catherine Hicks, Rector 3. St. Peter’s Sunday News 4. Server Schedule June, 2021 5. Latest Newsletter-the Parish Post (July, 2021) 6. Calendar 7. Parish Ministries 8. This past Sunday 9. Latest Sunday Bulletin (June 27, 2021 11:00am),  and Sermon (June 27, 2021) 10. Recent Services:  Pentecost 2, June 6 Readings and Prayers, Pentecost 2, June 6, 2021 Pentecost 3, June 13 Readings and Prayers, Pentecost 3, June 13, 2021 Pentecost 4, June 20 Readings and Prayers, Pentecost 4, June 20, 2021

Block Print by Mike Newman

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Projects 

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Colors for Year B, 2020-21

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Easter 7, May 16

Readings and Prayers, Easter 7, Sunday, May 16
 

Daily “Day by Day”

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3-Minute Retreats invite you to take a short prayer break right at your computer. Spend some quiet time reflecting on a Scripture passage.

Knowing that not everyone prays at the same pace, you have control over the pace of the retreat. After each screen, a Continue button will appear. Click it when you are ready to move on. If you are new to online prayer, the basic timing of the screens will guide you through the experience.

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Follow the Star

Daily meditations in words and music.

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Sacred Space

Your daily prayer online, since 1999

“We invite you to make a ‘Sacred Space’ in your day, praying here and now, as you visit our website, with the help of scripture chosen every day and on-screen guidance.”

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Daily C. S. Lewis thoughts

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Saints of the Week, June 27, 2021 – July 4, 2021

27	Cornelius Hill, Priest, 1907
28	Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, c. 202
29	Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Apostles
30
1	Pauli Murray, Priest, 1985 Harriet Beecher Stowe, Writer and Prophetic Witness, 1896
2	[Moses the Black], Monastic & Martyr, c.400 Walter Rauschenbusch, 1918, Washington Gladden, 1918, and Jacob Riis, 1914, Prophetic Witnesses
3
4	Independence Day

Chaos in the Gospel -“A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.” – Mark 4:37. Painting by Jules Joseph Meynier (1826-1903)

June 20, 2021, 4th Sunday after Pentecost

June 20 – 11:00am, Morning Prayer. In person in the church or on Zoom. – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278

• Bulletin
• Pentecost 4 Sunday readings

June 20 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 878 7167 9302 Passcode: 729195

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June 21 – 6:30am – Be Still Meditation group in a 20 minute time of prayer Meeting ID: Meeting ID: 879 8071 6417 Passcode: 790929

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Bible Study on Wednesday is taking a well deserved break!

June 24 – 7:00pm Sacred Ground book group

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June 27 – 11:00am, Holy Eucharist

June 27 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

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A “Web Story” of the Gospel

The following format is a “web story” developed by Google and intended for mobile consumption. We can take the themes of Sunday in the readings, in the service and events in the world to see connections in a magazine format.

Link to the Web Story on the Gospel

The Gospel on June 20 is very dramatic in Pentecost 4 with the disciples crossing to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to carry Jesus message to the Gentiles. They are concerned about their lives in the transit due to a violent storm. But Jesus is in the boat – asleep! Can we depend on him ? The theme of the web story is chaos – in the Gospel and in related events – Juneteenth on June 19, the refugee situation no June 20 and the change of season during the solstice.

What do we make of this ? What can we take from the Gospel to relieve the stress and get us through these challenges?

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Father’s Day Project, 2020

Today on Father’s Day we asked the congregation to supply pictures of their fathers

Read our Father’s day poem and Father’s Day prayer

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Jamaica Project Concludes TODAY!

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World Refugee Day is June 20

World Refugee Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000 to honor the contributions of refugees throughout the world and to raise awareness about the growing refugee crisis in places like Syria and Central Africa,

What is a refugee ? "Refugee” is a legal term used to define an individual who: “…owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.” (1951 Geneva Refugee Convention.)  

Currently, there are over 79.5 million displaced persons around the world, and of those, 26 million are refugees and about half are under 18 (June 2020 figures).  The Episcopal Church’s foremost response to the refugee crisis is through Episcopal Migration Ministries, the Church’s resettlement agency that partners with the federal government to resettle refugees and offer them new life in communities around the U.S.  They also educate communities and equip advocates of their mission.

Since the United States created the current refugee resettlement program in 1980, EMM has resettled about 100,000 refugees, providing a range of services for these families upon their arrival in the United States, including English language and cultural orientation classes, employment services, school enrollment and initial assistance with housing and transportation.

Refugee resettlement is a final option for refugees—it is a life-saving option for individuals who cannot return home or integrate into the country into which they fled. Refugees who are resettled to the U.S. undergo extensive & lengthy vetting and are partnered with one of nine resettlement agencies, such as Episcopal Migration Ministries, to receive tools to assist them as they integrate, thrive, and become self-sufficient.

On  World Refugee Day, June 20, Episcopalians can join in celebration and in prayer to honor the dignity of each refugee. While refugees face often unimaginable situations and loss, refugees are individuals who bring untold skills and talents that reflect the indomitable human spirit. As people of faith, we must recognize those individual hopes and dreams as we answer the call to love as Jesus loved and welcome the stranger.

Read the rest of the article.

Here is a message from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry:

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Jump into Midsummer’s Night

We pass Midsummer’s Night in June . European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice, or that take place on a day between June 21 and June 24, and the preceding evening

The Midsummer’s night celebration began in pre -Christian times when it was believed that forces could slip between this world and the next at a time when there was more light than at any time of the year. Fires were lit to ward off the evil spirits.

We may think of Midsummer’s Night in terms of Shakespeare’s play of the same name. Ironically, most of the play takes place in a dark forest in a wild, mysterious atmosphere, rather than in the light, in which the magical elements of Shakespeare’s plot can be played out. One of the subplots involves the brawl of the ferries, Oberon and Titania which creates a disturbance in nature.

Prayers at the Close of Day. There are many Anglican prayer books in the world- at least 50. The Prayer book is a treasure trove of spiritual richness. Each has unique prayers as we conclude our day. Here are a sample:

From the New Zealand Prayer Book:

“Support us, Lord, all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, the busy world is hushed, the fever of life is over, and our work done; then Lord, in your mercy, give us safe lodging, a holy rest and peace at the last. God our judge and our companion, we thank you for the good we did this day and for all that has given us joy. Everything we offer as our humble service. Bless those with whom we have worked, and those who are our concern. Amen”

From the Book of Common Prayer (1979)

“O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live: Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”________________________________________

“Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.”

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Lectionary, June 27 , 5th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B

I. Theme –  Compassion and Healing

"Jesus heals the bleeding woman"  – From the Catacomb of Sts Marcellinus and Peter

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

Old Testament – Lamentations 3:21-33
Psalm – Psalm 30
Epistle –2 Corinthians 8:7-15
Gospel – Mark 5:21-43  

Today’s readings encourage us to remember God’s goodness and act toward others with the same unflinching generosity and compassion. Lamentations reminds those who are suffering that God’s goodness will surely come. Paul encourages the Corinthians to offer their surplus of wealth to other communities who are in need. In the gospel, Jesus brings the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue official, back to life in anticipation of his own resurrection.

We are called to live for others and not for ourselves.  We are called to share what we have with others and to be in solidarity with the poor and the marginalized. We are called, most of all, to remember that God’s love endures forever, and that at times we need to wait, and not lose hope. The woman who suffered for many years in Mark’s Gospel did not lose hope, neither did Jairus in the time of crisis for his daughter. We know that God through Jesus Christ gives us new life, a life that transcends death, a life that calls us into solidarity with others and to share what we have, for Christ lived not for himself but for all; we also are called not to live for ourselves but for others.

The Judeo-Christian concern for the poor and needy has become overwhelming in this day when the whole world of nations is at our doorstep. We hardly know how to respond. International economic injustices prevent the distribution of national resources on the basis of simple human need. Welfare and many other social obligations have largely become the responsibility of governmental agencies and institutions. We are not too conscious of the individual injunction to be our brother’s keeper.

Still, those who live under biblical mandates do what they can to relieve human need, as they are able. “For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he has not.” Voluntary and secret pledging may be hazardous to the Church, but it is in the spirit of what we are called to do. As Paul says, “…so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.”

The motivation for such stewardship of our resources is our response to Jesus’ voluntary poverty that we “might become rich.” If our gratitude and love for his life given for us is genuine, we are spontaneous givers. Paul equates liberality with our desire to fulfill the will of God, who has given us all that is necessary for our well-being. What and how we give it is really a matter between ourselves and God and reflects our relationship with God.

The passage from Mark seems incongruous with today’s other readings, but it may be related squarely to our sense of gratitude. There are two open secrets in the Gospel of Mark. One is that Jesus is lord over all life in both the natural and spiritual worlds, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. The signs of God’s kingdom come in Christ are staked out all over the countryside if we can but read them in his words and deeds. The other secret is that faith alone will enable us to receive the blessings Jesus brings to the world.

For the first time in Mark’s gospel, a respectable member of society “falls at Jesus’ feet.” Whatever mixture of motives he might have, the ruler of the synagogue also has some faith that Jesus can help his dying child. Jesus recognizes the quantum of faith in Jairus and responds to it. Our lord is quick to respond to any budding faith, no matter how it is mixed with self-serving interests.

But the little girl dies before Jesus reaches her. Why trouble him further when death strikes in the midst of hope? We say “where there is life there is hope.” But Jesus, already challenged and victorious over the violence of nature and demonic forces, goes immediately to meet death head-on and calls the daughter of Jairus out of her “sleep.”

God is not the God of the dead but the living. “I am the resurrection and the life…He that believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” So Jesus vanquished death also, demonstrating that he is lord even over the last enemy of life.

Jesus has proved how genuine is his love for us. Our gratitude moves us to find our brothers and sisters in need and carry on his gracious work.

Read more about the lectionary…

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June 29 – Feast of Peter and Paul

Make a Gift Today! Help our ministries make a difference during the Pandemic 1. Newcomers – Welcome Page 2. Contact the Rev Catherine Hicks, Rector 3. St. Peter’s Sunday News 4. Server Schedule June, 2021 5. Latest Newsletter-the Parish Post (June, 2021) 6. Calendar 7. Parish Ministries 8. This past Sunday 9. Latest Sunday Bulletin (June 20, 2021 11:00am),  and Sermon (June 6, 2021) 10. Recent Services:  Trinity Sunday, May 30 Readings and Prayers, Trinity Sunday, May 30, 2021 Pentecost 2, June 6 Readings and Prayers, Pentecost 2, June 6, 2021 Pentecost 3, June 13 Readings and Prayers, Pentecost 3, June 13, 2021

Block Print by Mike Newman

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Projects 

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Colors for Year B, 2020-21

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Daily “Day by Day”

---

3-Minute Retreats invite you to take a short prayer break right at your computer. Spend some quiet time reflecting on a Scripture passage.

Knowing that not everyone prays at the same pace, you have control over the pace of the retreat. After each screen, a Continue button will appear. Click it when you are ready to move on. If you are new to online prayer, the basic timing of the screens will guide you through the experience.

---

Follow the Star

Daily meditations in words and music.

---

Sacred Space

Your daily prayer online, since 1999

“We invite you to make a ‘Sacred Space’ in your day, praying here and now, as you visit our website, with the help of scripture chosen every day and on-screen guidance.”

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Daily C. S. Lewis thoughts

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Saints of the Week, June 20, 2021 – June 27, 2021

19	[Adelaide Tegue Case], Educator, 1948
20
21
22	Alban, First Martyr of Britain, c. 304
23
24	The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist
25	James Weldon Johnson, Poet, 1938
26	[Isabel Florence Hapgood], Ecumenist, 1929
27	Cornelius Hill, Priest, 1907

Here we are on Sunday, June 6!

June 13, 2021, 3rd Sunday after Pentecost

“The Sower – Van Gogh”. The Parable of the Mustard Seed in this week’s Gospel.

June 13 – 11:00am, Morning Prayer. In person in the church or on Zoom. – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278

• Bulletin
• Pentecost 3 Sunday readings

June 13 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

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June 14 – 6:30am – Be Still Meditation group in a 20 minute time of prayer Meeting ID: 879 8071 6417 Passcode: 790929

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Bible Study on Wednesday is taking a well deserved break!

June 16 – 3:00pm – 5pm – Village Harvest

If you would like to volunteer, please email Andrea or call (540) 847-9002. Pack bags for distribution 1-3PM Deliver food to client’s cars 3-5PM.

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June 20 – 11:00am, , Holy Eucharist

June 20 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

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Jamaica Project One more week to go – until June 20!

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Juneteenth is June 19

“A 5,000-square-foot mural in Galveston, Texas, at the spot where Gen. Gordon Granger issued the orders that resulted in the freedom of more than 250,000 enslaved Black people in the state. Reginald C. Adams of Houston is the artist

From the NY Times

“On June 19, 1865, about two months after the Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Va., Gordon Granger, a Union general, arrived in Galveston, Texas, to inform enslaved African-Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended. General Granger’s announcement put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued more than two and a half years earlier on Jan. 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln.

“The holiday received its name by combining June and 19. The day is also sometimes called “Juneteenth Independence Day,” “Freedom Day” or “Emancipation Day.”

“The original celebration became an annual one, and it grew in popularity over the years with the addition of descendants, according to Juneteenth.com, which tracks celebrations. The day was celebrated by praying and bringing families together. In some celebrations on this day, men and women who had been enslaved, and their descendants, made an annual pilgrimage back to Galveston.

“Celebrations reached new heights in 1872 when a group of African-American ministers and businessmen in Houston purchased 10 acres of land and created Emancipation Park. The space was intended to hold the city’s annual Juneteenth celebration.

“Today, while some celebrations take place among families in backyards where food is an integral element, some cities, like Atlanta and Washington, hold larger events, like parades and festivals with residents, local businesses and more.

“In 1980, Texas became the first state to designate Juneteenth as a holiday, though the recognition is largely symbolic. Since then, at least 45 states and the District of Columbia have moved to officially recognize the day. Last October, Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia, both Democrats, signed into law legislation declaring Juneteenth holidays in their respective states. Last month, Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, also a Democrat, declared Juneteenth a state holiday starting in 2022, and legislators in Illinois approved a bill that would make it a paid day off for all state employees and a school holiday

“Juneteenth has become important since the killing of George Floyd.” It can become a day to rally to combat racism.

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World Refugee Day is June 20

World Refugee Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000 to honor the contributions of refugees throughout the world and to raise awareness about the growing refugee crisis in places like Syria and Central Africa,

What is a refugee ? "Refugee” is a legal term used to define an individual who: “…owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.” (1951 Geneva Refugee Convention.  

Currently, there are over 79.5 million displaced persons around the world, and of those, 26 million are refugees and about half are under 18 (June 2020 figures).  The Episcopal Church’s foremost response to the refugee crisis is through Episcopal Migration Ministries, the Church’s resettlement agency that partners with the federal government to resettle refugees and offer them new life in communities around the U.S.  They also educate communities and equip advocates of their mission.

Since the United States created the current refugee resettlement program in 1980, EMM has resettled about 100,000 refugees, providing a range of services for these families upon their arrival in the United States, including English language and cultural orientation classes, employment services, school enrollment and initial assistance with housing and transportation.

Refugee resettlement is a final option for refugees—it is a life-saving option for individuals who cannot return home or integrate into the country into which they fled. Refugees who are resettled to the U.S. undergo extensive & lengthy vetting and are partnered with one of nine resettlement agencies, such as Episcopal Migration Ministries, to receive tools to assist them as they integrate, thrive, and become self-sufficient.

On  World Refugee Day, June 20, Episcopalians can join in celebration and in prayer to honor the dignity of each refugee. While refugees face often unimaginable situations and loss, refugees are individuals who bring untold skills and talents that reflect the indomitable human spirit. As people of faith, we must recognize those individual hopes and dreams as we answer the call to love as Jesus loved and welcome the stranger.

Read the rest of the article.

Here is a message from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry:

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Lectionary, June 20 , 4th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B

I. Theme –  God’s control over creation

"Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee" – Ludolf Backhuysen, 1695

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

Old Testament – Job 38:1-11
Psalm – Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32 Page 746, BCP
Epistle –2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Gospel – Mark 4:35-41  

Today’s readings remind and reaffirm God’s complete command over all creation. God’s reply to Job asserts the majesty of God as the Creator and Ruler of the world. Paul commends the ministry of reconciliation to all Christians. In the gospel, Jesus stills a storm at sea, revealing that he shares God’s power over creation.

Much as we would like to think otherwise, “the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom.” And how much better to fear God who saves than to fear the things that threaten to destroy us!

Unlike the world of ancient myth where the chaos waters rage and threaten the order that makes life possible — threatening — chaos, in our texts, has been or is being tamed by a benign God who, in the end, means all God’s creatures well. In the process, capital-C Chaos becomes merely "chaos" — a real power that retains a place in God’s world, but one now "fenced in," become part of God’s ordered creation. 

A word of hope in the Gospel (and Job and the Psalm) is that God has the power to control the chaos. God may not always do it according to our schedule. Sometimes God may appear to be sleeping in the boat while our world is falling apart, but that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have the power to calm the storm. 

This theme can also lead to the idea that sometimes the storms in our lives are beyond our control. The chaos in our lives may be caused by people or situations or evil powers which we can do nothing about. Sometimes it is not our fault. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Sometimes even the world of faithful Christians comes crashing down.

When the lord answers Job out of the whirlwind giving an awesome view of creative power and might, Job’s heart trembles before the one with whom he had contended so ignorantly and reproachfully. His fear is not only the beginning of wisdom, but also the beginning of real faith, as his ensuing humility leads to confession and acceptance by the lord. Job makes one of the greatest confessions of faith in the Bible: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then from my flesh I shall see God” (Job. 19:25-26).

Job’s spiritual experience is repeated by the disciples’ experience on the Sea of Galilee. Putting out to sea in the evenings was a grave risk, since the sudden storms that come up on the sea often occur at sundown. In this scene, the disciples were obeying the lord’s command against the odds for security. We tend to think that having Jesus in the boat would have spared them any trouble.

The disciples are not prepared for the action Jesus takes. He stills the storm at sea in an exhibition of God’s power and control over creation. His question: “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” is meant to convey to the disciples that their security lay in a different realm. When God is in control, no forces of destruction can touch them. Not a bad lesson to learn, even if fear is the teacher.

Read more about the lectionary…

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The Politics of Chaos – Mark’s Gospel

Chaos is a real threat at any time and in Jesus time was seen often on the Sea. Today’s Gospel takes place on the Sea of Galilee crossing to the other side. Surrounded by hills and at a depth of 680 feet below sea level, the Sea of Galilee was a funnel for surprisingly sudden and dramatic storms. The sea itself was shaped like a wind tunnel at twelve and one-half miles long and anywhere from four to seven and one-half miles wide.

Mark Davis in this article provides a setting for the Gospel story. "And everybody lived with the risks of such dangers because the waters were the resources for work, food, portage, import, and export." He provides the setting for that ship on the water.

But there is another meaning that he explores because the Gospel of Mark was written in a time of Chaos in the 60’s. In the Spring of 66 A.D., the Jews of Judea began a full scale rebellion against Rome. In 69 A.D., Vespasian was made emperor of Rome and gave his son Titus the honor of delivering the final death blows to the rebellious Jews and their capital city. The Romans brutally slaughtered an estimated 600,000 people in Jerusalem including many of the Passover visitors who had been trapped there for the 143 days during the Roman siege. The temple was burned in 70AD. By the year 73 A.D., all traces of a self-ruling Jewish nation had seemingly disappeared. Out of these ruins, Christianity reappeared in Antioch in Turkey, in Greece and other parts of the Mediterranean world. As Davis writes "Jesus’ word is more powerful than Rome’s storm."

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Voices of Pentecost 4 – Mark’s Gospel

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee– Rembrandt (1633)

This is Rembrandt’s only seascape picture and dramatically depicts Mark’s Gospel. Being lost at sea was a constant threat at the time.  Rembrandt did not try to capture historical accuracy but used boats of his time.  Ironically, this painting is now lost. On the morning of March 18, 1990, thieves disguised as police officers broke into the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum in Boston and stole The Storm on the Sea of Galilee and 12 other works. It is considered the biggest art theft in US history and remains unsolved. The museum still displays the paintings’ empty frames in their original locations.

The museum describes the painting- "The detailed rendering of the scene, the figures’ varied expressions, the relatively polished brushwork, and the bright coloring are characteristic of Rembrandt’s early style…The panic-stricken disciples struggle against a sudden storm, and fight to regain control of their fishing boat as a huge wave crashes over its bow, ripping the sail and drawing the craft perilously close to the rocks in the left foreground. One of the disciples succumbs to the sea’s violence by vomiting over the side. Amidst this chaos, only Christ, at the right, remains calm, like the eye of the storm. Awakened by the disciples’ desperate pleas for help, he rebukes them: “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” and then rises to calm the fury of wind and waves."

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"Set me alight  
We’ll punch a hole right through the night
Everyday the dreamers die
See what’s on the other side " 

-U2 "In God’s Country"

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“People fear miracles because they fear being changed.” Which is the source, I think, of this other kind of fear that stands somewhere between a holy awe and mighty terror: the fear of being changed. And make no mistake, Jesus is asking the disciples to change. In this very moment he is drawing them from the familiar territory of Capernaum to the strange and foreign land of the Garasenes. And he is moving them from being fishermen to disciples. And he is preparing them to welcome a kingdom so very different from the one they’d either expected or wanted."

"The change they are facing is real, and hard, and inevitable, and all of this becomes crystal clear as they realize the one who is asking them to change has mastery over the wind and see and is, indeed, the Holy One of God. That change, of course, will also and ultimately be transformative, but I doubt if they see that yet."

– David Lose, President of Luther Seminary

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"No amount of word-making will ever make a single soul to know these mountains. As well seek to warm the naked and frost bitten by lectures on caloric and pictures of flame. One day’s exposure to mountains is better than carloads of books. See how willingly Nature poses herself upon photographer’s plates. No earthly chemicals are so sensitive as those of the human soul. All that is required is exposure, and purity of material. The pure in heart shall see God! … Come to the woods, for here is rest. … The galling harness of civilization drops off, and we are healed ere we are aware."

–John Muir 1838-1914

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"However, the progression of the crossing stories demonstrates a much greater message. Although Jesus continued to use his power to still storms, in each crossing Mark recounts that Jesus grew increasingly impatient with the presumption of his disciples that he would simply perform a divine act and in every instance relieve them of their fear. They seemed to completely ignore that they also had responsibilities. They had an obligation to endure and to find inner calm through faith. By the final crossing, Jesus was totally exasperated and demanded to know if his disciples had yet learned anything whatsoever"

– Alexander Shaia – The Hidden Power of the Gospels 

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"I don’t really think the miracle in this story is about Jesus calming the storm and taking control. The miracle in this story is that Jesus was with the disciples in the water-logged and weatherbeaten boat, experiencing the same terrible storm, the same terrible waves, the same terrible danger. 

"And that alone should have been enough. 

"God’s power isn’t in the control of creation or of people, but in being in covenant and relationship with them. It isn’t in imposing the divine will or insisting on its own way but in sojourning with us as we fumble around and make our way in the world. God’s power is not in miraculous interventions, pre-emptive strikes in the cosmic war against suffering and evil, but in inviting us to build a kingdom out of love, peace and justice with God. God’s power is not in the obliterating of what is bad in the world, but in empowering us to build something good in this world. 

"And isn’t this true power? Instead of enforcing control and solutions onto the world, God’s power is revealed in coming alongside us, journeying with us, suffering with us, and even staying with us in the boat when the storms come.  "

– David Henson "When God Sleeps through Storms" 

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"There is a poignant scene in the otherwise very violent film Pulp Fiction, when two hitmen, Jules and Vincent, are trying to come to terms with their narrow escape from death. Jules describes their experience as a miracle; Vincent disagrees. After defining a miracle as “God making the impossible possible,” Vincent argues that their escape from death earlier that day doesn’t qualify. Which prompts Jules to say, “Don’t you see, Vincent, that…doesn’t matter. You’re judging this thing the wrong way. It’s not about what. It could be God stopped the bullets, he changed Coke into Pepsi, he found my…car keys. You don’t judge [stuff] like this on merit. Whether or not what we experienced was an according-to-Hoyle miracle is insignificant. What is significant is I felt God’s touch. God got involved.”

"“I felt God’s touch. God got involved.” Something similar, I think, is happening in today’s story. The shift in the disciples’ reaction – from “do you not care we are perishing” to “who is this” – signifies a shift from what, the miracle, to who, Jesus. Which leads me to conclude that perhaps the answer to our question – What moves us from fear to faith? – is relationship. It’s the move from what to who, from event to person, from ambiguous miracle to the actual person of Jesus.

"And that, Dear Partner, is something we can preach on Sunday. Faith, in the end, isn’t believing certain cognitive propositions about when or how God created the earth, whether or not Jonah lived in the belly of a whale, the nature of Scripture’s authority, or even Mary’s marital status when Jesus was born.

"Rather, faith is about a relationship, a relationship with the God revealed by the ministry and words and actions of Jesus. And in Mark’s Gospel, the Jesus we meet is relentless in his pursuit of caring for all of God’s children. This very crossing of a rough sea is prompted by Jesus’ determination to get to the other side, to the land of the Gerasenes, a place few rabbis would venture. There he will meet and heal a man possessed by a demon and return him to the community from which he has been ostracized. And then he will come back to more familiar haunts to heal again, this time restoring life to a young girl and healing a woman who has been suffering for more than a decade.

" These early chapters of Mark describe again and again Jesus’ determination to free people from all the things that keep them from the abundant life God promises: demon possession, disease, social exclusion, hunger, even death itself. Jesus reveals a God who cares passionately for the wellbeing of all God’s people. This is the One we invite people to trust. And trust, in the end, is the only thing that overcomes fear. Ultimately, you see, it’s the question isn’t what moves us from fear to faith, but who. And the answer is Jesus, the one who will not rest until we see and hear and experience and trust God’s passionate love for us and all the world.

"There is a second “who” involved as well, for when we have a hard time trusting, a hard time believing that, in spite of our shortcomings God still loves us or, for that matter, in spite of those times of loneliness or struggle God is still present in our lives, at those times we gather as a community to read again these stories and remind each other of God’s promises. "

– David Lose "Moving from Fear to Faith"

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June is day lilies month!

June 6, 2021 – 11:00am, Pentecost 2 Holy Eucharist . In person in the church or on Zoom. – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278

• Bulletin
• Sermon
• Pentecost 2 Sunday readings

Blessing from the Sermon

• Videos, June 6
• Photos
• Sermon

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June 6 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 878 7167 9302 Passcode: 729195

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June 6 – 6:30am – Be Still Meditation group in a 20 minute time of prayer Meeting ID: 879 8071 6417 Passcode: 790929

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Bible Study on Wednesday is taking a well deserved break!

June 9 – 5pm-6:30pm, Village Dinner. Fried chicken, macaroni salad, cucumber salad, a dinner roll and a dessert. Call Susan von Linne von Berg to make a reservation.

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June 13 – 11:00am, Morning Prayer

June 13 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

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The ECW Tea, June 1

The St Peter’s ECW held an afternoon tea on June 1 to welcome Linda Kramer and Jan Saylor to St Peter’s. Linen napkins, silver spoons, antique china, as well as the magnolias that graced the table made the delicious food prepared by Cookie Davis and Elizabeth Heimbach even more delectable. Even more delightful than the tea itself was the gift of seeing one another and to be in one another’s company. Linda and Jan received copies of the St Peter’s cookbook as gifts of welcome from the ECW.

A wonderful way to move into both summer and the month of June.

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Jamaica Project continues in June

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Anything but Ordinary! Ordinary Time

Basically, Ordinary Time encompasses that part of the Christian year that does not fall within the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter.

Ordinary Time is anything but ordinary. According to The General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, the days of Ordinary Time, especially the Sundays, “are devoted to the mystery of Christ in all its aspects.” We continue our trek through the both the Gospels of Luke and John- through parables challenges, healings – some great stories and teachings.

Lent is about preparing people to live as disciples of Jesus. Easter Season is about giving especially the newly baptized or confirmed time to focus deeply on the doctrinal foundations of the faith and on discerning the Spirit’s calling and gifts for ministry, culminating in a celebration and commissioning for these ministries at Pentecost. The Season after Pentecost is about seeking the Spirit’s guidance and supporting one another as we undertake these ministries in Christ’s name.

While there are parts of Ordinary Time through the year, we think of Trinity Sunday until Christ the King Sunday or up to Advent as the Sundays of Ordinary Time.

Read more…

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So What is an Epistle?

By Jack Wellman

“I read a survey many years ago that tested the biblical literacy of Christians. One of the questions was “What were the wives of the apostles called?” There were multiple choice answers and the one answer that received the most votes was the apostles wives were called “epistles” but that is, of course, wrong so let’s find out the answers to the questions: what were the epistles in the Bible and what does the word epistle mean?

The Answer is…

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Remembering St. Barnabas, June 11

St. Barnabus Curing the Poor – Paolo Veronese.

Collect for his day -“Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well­being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”

Who is St. Barnabus and why do we celebrate a feast day for him ?

Three reasons why Barnabas is a famous saint:

1. He was one of the most highly respected leaders in the early church. Born on the island of Cyprus (which means “copper” because of the mines there), his name was Joseph, but the apostles called him Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”).

2. When Saul (as Paul was still known) appeared in Jerusalem after his conversion, he was spurned by the Christians he had persecuted. Yet when Barnabas “took him by the hand, and brought him to the Apostles”, and spoke up for him, Paul was immediately accepted (Acts 9:27).

He was Paul’s mentor and advocate and was the leader when he and Paul were sent off on the first missionary journey. But Paul’s personality and fervor soon dominated.

Where it had been “Barnabas and Paul”, it was now “Paul and Barnabas”. (See Acts, Chapter 13.)

3. Barnabas was so vital to the spread of the Gospel that he earned the highest accolade that any Christian can receive; “. . . . he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith”. (Acts 11:24)

Around 49, at a council in Jerusalem, St Peter helped to carry the argument of Paul and Barnabas that Gentile Christians need not be circumcised.

It is odd, therefore, to discover Barnabas and Peter siding against Paul in refusing to eat with the Gentiles (Gal 2:13). Was this a matter of personal sympathy? The last we hear of Barnabas is of his falling out with Paul over the latter’s refusal to accept John Mark as a travelling companion.

“So sharp was their disagreement, that they separated from each other; Barnabas took Mark with him, and sailed off to Cyprus.” (Acts 15:36-40)

So Barnabas passes from the written record. Tradition holds that he preached in Alexandria and Rome, before being martyred at Salamis.

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Lectionary, June 13 , Third Sunday after Pentecost, Year B

I. Theme –  The Surprising and Unexpected Revelations of God

“Mustard Tree” – Katy Jones

The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

Old Testament – Ezekiel 17:22-24
Psalm – Psalm 92:1-4,11-14 Page 720, BCP
Epistle –2 Corinthians 5:6-10,[11-13],14-17
Gospel – Mark 4:26-34

Today’s readings are colored by lovely shades of green, and are filled with images of growth and newness. From the cedars of Ezekiel to the palm tree of the psalm, the flourishing of human beings is part of all creation’s fruitfulness.

In the first readings, Ezekiel gives the Israelites hope that one day God will restore their strength and Samuel sees beyond outward appearances to choose the least likely son of Jesse to anoint as king. Paul reminds his Corinthian communities that our eternal dwelling is not found here on earth but is with the lord.

In the gospel, Jesus uses two parables to describe how God’s dynamic presence—the kingdom—grows in our lives. In Jesus’ parable of the kingdom, seed (God’s word) is scattered broadly. Perhaps as he told this story, Jesus was watching a farmer hand-sow a field. The farmer does not know how the seed sprouts and grows. The process goes on while the farmer sleeps and wakes, not by any effort on the farmer’s part, but by the mystery of growth itself. “The earth produces of itself” and the harvest comes. Jesus is not trying to explain the mystery of growth. He is commanding the same kind of trust in the reality of God’s kingdom that we depend upon in the natural world. Just as we believe a seed is growing in the dark ground while we cannot see it, so we believe the kingdom is growing in our dark world.

For the spiritually perceptive, Jesus himself is the seed God has sown in the world. We believe in the divine kingdom already “planted” in Christ and trust the creative Spirit of God to bring forth the new harvest of redeemed human souls.

The word “harvest” is also used as a biblical note of warning. The sickle is judgment. The grain was ripe when Jesus came into the world. But now the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. God’s kingdom has already sprung up in Christ, and we must decide whether or not to be among the disciples who understand his words and live by them.

God is doing something new, which is the new thing God began in creation. God is bringing the high down low and lifting up the low to be high. God is creating us anew, in a way in which we grow and live together in a way that honors God and each other, and not ourselves. The reign of God is built when we live for each other, building each other up, doing Christ’s work here on earth. The reign of God is built when we recognize that death does not have a hold on us, and that life is worth living when we live for others, not for ourselves. Everything old dies, but in Christ, everything becomes new, and life surpasses death.

Read more about the lectionary…

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Memorial Day Sunday, 5 years ago (2016)

May 30 – 11:00am, Trinity Sunday Holy Eucharist . In person in the church or on Zoom. – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278

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• Bulletin
• Sermon
• Trinity Sunday readings
• More about Trinity Sunday

Left to right, top to bottom – Communion, congregation with 28 in the church, Magnolia flowers for the altar, Memorial Day Sunday with the flag behind the St. Peter’s sign, ECW ingathering collection, Children’s sermon explaining Trinity Sunday in the context of an apple, Rehearsing “Glory to You”

• Videos from Trinity Sunday
• Photos
• Sermon

May 30 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom. This short service of prayer and music offers the opportunity to close the day in one another’s company as we place ourselves in God’s protection for the night. – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 878 7167 9302 Passcode: 729195

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May 31 – 6:30am – Be Still Meditation group in a 20 minute time of prayer Meeting ID: 879 8071 6417 Passcode: 790929. Intentionally start the week in God’s presence by joining in twenty minutes of silent prayer together.

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June 1 – 3pm – ECW Tea. All women are welcome as we welcome newcomers to St Peter’s in the Parish House.

June 2 – Bible Study is taking a break in June

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June 4 – 11:00am, Sunday Holy Eucharist

June 4 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

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Trinity Sunday – the Trinity Knot

Sunday May 29 is known as Trinity Sunday on our church calendar, the only Sunday in the year devoted to a doctrine of the church.

The Trinity Knot is also known as ‘Triquetra’ which comes from the Latin for ‘three-cornered’. It has been found on Indian heritage sites that are over 5,000 years old. It has also been found on carved stones in Northern Europe dating from the 8th century AD and on early Germanic coins. It developed during Ireland’s Insular Art movement around the 7th century

It’s likely the Trinity knot had religious meaning for pagans and it also bears a resemblance to the Valknut which is a symbol associated with Odin, a revered God in Norse mythology. According to the Celts, the most important things in the world came in threes; three domains (earth, sea and sky), three elements, three stages of life etc. It is also possible that the Triquetra signified the lunar and solar phases. During excavations of various archaeological sites from the Celtic era, a number of Trinity knot symbols have been found alongside solar and lunar symbols.

For Christians, the Trinity knot consists of three corners, some designs also include the circle in the center. The three points of the Trinity knot represent the Holy Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the circle eternal life

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Memorial Day Sunday

A Prayer for Heroic Service

“O Judge of the nations, we remember before you with grateful
hearts the men and women of our country who in the day of
decision ventured much for the liberties we now enjoy. Grant
that we may not rest until all the people of this land share the
benefits of true freedom and gladly accept its disciplines. This
we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord.” Amen. BCP 839

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May, 2021 Village Harvest – Plenty of sunshine and food

Our numbers were up in May. In fact at 99 they were best since January when we served 116. The weather was an absolutely glorious spring day.

Pounds of food were up to 1,184. While they were above last month’s 838, they were under Feb and March at 1,304 and 1,891, respectively.

Of course it is “what is brought to the table!” Thanks to Cookie and Johnny for continuing to get the food from the Healthy Harvest Food Bank. She provided some of he details -2 1/2hams each. grapes,2 dozen eggs each, apples to bag, rolls, canned peaches 🍑, canned tuna, cereal, canned green beans and a don’t forget a candy treat.

Pounds per person were 12 which would be worth $71.76 at $6 a pounds. Pounds per person, however is under the running average at 14.5 over the last year.

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The Hymnals Return!

A Return to normalcy!

“Old Friends” came back to the Church this week after being removed during the pandemic. Sorely missed!

Some people get confused by the fact we have 4 books in the pew racks. These books, however are wonderful resources reflecting the diversity and inclusiveness of the Episcopal Church and add to the richness of our services.

The Hymnal 1982 on the left is one of a series of seven official hymnals of the Episcopal Church, including The Hymnal 1940. It offers 720 hymns in addition to liturgical music. While some of the hymns date back to monastic chants, the hymnal offers more modern music and diverse influences – use of Native American, Afro-American, Hispanic, and Asian material.

This is followed by the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). The only one is not a hymnal but a book that guides our services as well as private prayer life. The first BCP goes back to the reformation in 1549 as the church was creating its identity from its Catholic heritage. The book’s fourth revision was published in 1979.

The green book is “Wonder Love and Praise”. It is a collection of two hundred additional hymns for Advent, Holy Week, Baptism, Ordinations, and Funerals as well as for healing, mission, unity, and peace

The book with a cross is “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” It includes 280 musical pieces from both the African American and gospel traditions. It includes service music and several psalm settings in addition to the Negro spirituals, gospel songs, and hymns.

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Jamaica Project continues in June

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Anything but Ordinary! Ordinary Time

Basically, Ordinary Time encompasses that part of the Christian year that does not fall within the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter.

Ordinary Time is anything but ordinary. According to The General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, the days of Ordinary Time, especially the Sundays, "are devoted to the mystery of Christ in all its aspects." We continue our trek through the both the Gospels of Luke and John- through parables challenges, healings – some great stories and teachings.  

Lent is about preparing people to live as disciples of Jesus. Easter Season is about giving especially the newly baptized or confirmed time to focus deeply on the doctrinal foundations of the faith and on discerning the Spirit’s calling and gifts for ministry, culminating in a celebration and commissioning for these ministries at Pentecost. The Season after Pentecost is about seeking the Spirit’s guidance and supporting one another as we undertake these ministries in Christ’s name.

While there are parts of Ordinary Time through the year, we think of Trinity Sunday until Christ the King Sunday or up to Advent as the Sundays of Ordinary Time. 

Read more…

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Lectionary, June 6 , Second Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
 

I. Theme –  The pervading role of sinfulness

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

Old Testament – Genesis 3:8-15
Psalm – Psalm 130 Page 784, BCP
Epistle –2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
Gospel – Mark 3:20-35 

Today’s readings explore the pervading influence of sinfulness that makes humans stand in resistance and opposition to God. In 1 Samuel, we begin a series of readings describing the development of kingship in Israel. In Genesis (ALT), we learn the meaning of human sinfulness from the story of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. Paul encourages the Corinthian Christians to trust in the eternal power of God. In the gospel, when his opponents declare that Jesus is possessed by Beelzebul, Jesus warns them of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

Commentary by Rev. Mindi

We enter this season after Pentecost, after Trinity Sunday, in which (at least in the mainstream Protestant tradition) there are no special days until Reign of Christ Sunday just before Advent. We begin this time with the story of the man and the woman hiding from God in the garden. The man explains his shame, his hiding by scapegoating the woman, who in turn explains herself by scapegoating the serpent, and the serpent is punished by God. As part of the curse of the serpent, humanity is separated from relationship with the creatures of creation. No longer will human beings and animals live in harmony; there will be predators and prey, a need to defend oneself against the wild creatures of the world. We often read this passage and recall humanity’s fall, but there is a sense that the model of harmony in the garden is disrupted among the rest of God’s creatures as well. This harmony is symbolically seen again upon the ark in the story of the flood, where miraculously somehow the animals don’t eat each other or the human beings who are caring for them. We are reminded that God’s intention for creation was harmony between man and woman, between human beings and God, and between humanity and the rest of creation; but through our greed and desire, we have distorted God’s intention, and it is God who must reconcile us through Christ.

The other choice for the Old Testament readings this year follows the historical books, beginning with 1 Samuel 8 and 11, telling the story of the anointing of Israel’s first king, Saul, by the prophet Samuel.

Psalm 130 is a song of hope in God, having patience in God’s deliverance. We may have sinned, but God forgives, and God will save, as long as we hold on to hope.

Mark 3:20-35 tells of Jesus’ homecoming after he called his first disciples and the reception he received. People had begun to talk about Jesus and were spreading some rumors and tales, including that Jesus was possessed by Beelzebul. Jesus’ own family wants to bring him home and stop this “madness,” this “nonsense,” of Jesus’ ministry and healing and preaching, but Jesus declares that Satan can not cast out Satan; therefore Jesus, who is doing good works, cannot be possessed by a demon, for what he is doing is the complete opposite of what demonic forces would do. Demonic forces would destroy, bring pain and anguish and despair; Jesus brings restoration, healing, joy and hope. When Jesus’ family calls out to him and the crowd informs Jesus of this, Jesus reminds them that whoever does the will of God is Jesus’ family–for we are all children of God, we are all Christ’s brothers and sisters, when we do the work of God, bringing healing, hope and restoration to the world by sharing God’s love.

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 proclaims that we live by faith, not by sight. What can be seen is temporary–what we have made, what we have done–but what cannot be seen, God’s intention for us, is eternal. We must hold on to hope and know that God will restore us, God will reconcile us, and God will heal us. Everything we experience on this earth is temporary, but what we cannot see, cannot perceive, cannot fully understand is eternal–that God’s love endures forever.

When we look back upon the creation story, we recognize the story of God’s intention: a world created in relationship with God, a world in which human beings are in relationship with creation and with each other. In Genesis 3 that relationship is distorted by human beings; but we see glimpses of God’s intention breaking through all throughout Scripture. We see it in the story of the flood and the ark and the rainbow; we see it in the Psalms; we see it in Revelation. We see places where humanity continues to insist on their own way, one in which people are scapegoated and leaders are given too much power over people, where people who do not make good leaders are made into kings and the poor are oppressed. And when God’s intention begins to break through, as in Jesus’ ministry, we still resist. We want our own way. We want to have and others to not have–because we believe we have worked harder, we have earned it. We fail to see that God’s intention is not rivalry but relationship. We fail to see that God’s intention is not survival but harmony. We fail to see that God’s intention is not being right, but doing right. We fail to see that God’s intention is not insiders and outsiders, but all of humanity as God’s children, brothers and sisters of each other. This is what God’s intention is for humanity and the world, what God’s desire is for us: that we be part of Christ’s family.

Read more about the lectionary…

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Lincoln’s "House Divided Speech", 1858

"If we could first know where we are and whither we are tending, we could better judge what to do and how to do it. We are now far into the fifth year since a policy was initiated with the avowed object and confident promise of putting an end to slavery agitation. Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only not ceased but has constantly augmented. In my opinion, it will not cease until a crisis shall have been reached and passed. "A house divided against itself cannot stand." I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved; I do not expect the house to fall; but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction, or its advocates will push it forward till it shall become alike lawful in all the states, old as well as new, North as well as South.

Have we no tendency to the latter condition?"

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Lincoln gave this speech June 16, 1858 at the Republican State Convention in Springfield, Illinois. A speech that, under normal circumstances, would have been an acceptance speech for the Republican U.S. Senate seat nomination actually was a bold attack on the divisive issue of slavery. 

Lincoln hoped to use a well-known figure of speech to help rouse the people to recognition of the magnitude of the ongoing debates over the legality of slavery. Our Gospel this week contains the phrase, "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come."

The "fifth year" refers to Kansas-Nebraska, the act that was focal point of the debate on the expansion of slavery in 1854. The violence in this area foreshadowed that of the Civil War.

The speech just came a year after the Dred Scott decision. In March of 1857, the United States Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, declared that all blacks — slaves as well as free — were not and could never become citizens of the United States. The court also declared the 1820 Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, thus permiting slavery in all of the country’s territories.

The "house" refers to the Union — to the United States of America — and that house was divided between the opponents and advocates of slavery. Lincoln felt that the ideals of freedom for all and the institution of slavery could not coexist — morally, socially, or legally — under one nation. Slavery must ultimately be universally accepted or universally denied.

This speech, given two-and-a-half years before South Carolina would become the first state to secede from the Union, foreshadowed the coming storm of the Civil War. Although Lincoln lost the election to Stephen Douglas, his eloquent political arguments put him in the national limelight and paved the way for his election to the presidency in 1860.

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It’s the Day of Pentecost!

“All of us, who call ourselves Christians, have been given the gift of God’s impossible love, God’s Holy Spirit, in order that we might be more than we imagine, in order that we might do more than we dare dream, in order that we might be like Christ to a hurting and broken world. The Holy Spirit is God’s love in action, and as such, every loving thing we do is a gift of the Spirit. As Bruce D. Prewer once wrote:” – Dean Randy Hollerith, National Cathedral (edited)

“The Spirit is quietly at work:

In those who take a stand against injustice

In the selfless service of those who care for others at the risk of their own safety

In the inner resources we discover in times of crisis

In the grace that enables us to admit when we are wrong

In our ability to find joy in unexpected places

In refusing to let the greed of society take over our souls

In our ability to rise above past failures and put past hurts behind us

In our willingness to give thanks even through the hard times of life”

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May 23 – 11:00am, Pentecost Holy Eucharist . In person in the church or on Zoom. – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278

• Pentecost photos
• Pentecost videos
• Description

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• Bulletin
• Sermon
• Pentecost readings

May 23 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom. This short service of prayer and music offers the opportunity to close the day in one another’s company as we place ourselves in God’s protection for the night. – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 878 7167 9302 Passcode: 729195

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May 24 – 6:30am – Be Still Meditation group in a 20 minute time of prayer Meeting ID: 879 8071 6417 Passcode: 790929. Intentionally start the week in God’s presence by joining in twenty minutes of silent prayer together.

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May 26 – 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study through Zoom

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May 30 – 11:00am, Trinity Sunday Holy Eucharist

May 30 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

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Pentecost 2016, five years ago

A Pentecost that can’t be duplicated – 180th anniversary as well as Pentecost, a church altarpiece under construction, new hangings in the church plus 3 priests on hand.

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And Pentecost in 2021..

As encouraged, people wore red!!

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Projects in May

3 projects for you to support – one local in the Caroline County, one in the Episcopal Church and finally one which is international but which ties back to local roots. Most end in May thought one on Jamaica extends through much of June. Support one or more or all!

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Tucker’s Trip – late May, 2021 – Peru!

Follow Tucker’s travels through his Instagram site, main_adventure_life. The link is here

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Where have we been and will go in May ! Four Sundays of May commemorating  agriculture, the Ascension, Pentecost and Trinity Sunday – are four feasts of great importance in the life of the Church.  They are distinctively “named” Sundays.

Rogation Sunday on May 9 (Easter 6) goes back to prayer and fasting in early Christian times for protection for crops from disease. It was also a reflection of the Roman holiday of Robigalia at which a dog was sacrificed to propitiate Robigus, the god of agricultural disease. In England they were associated with the blessing of the fields at planting. The vicar “beat the bounds” of the parish, processing around the fields reciting psalms and the litany. In Christian years it involved fasting and abstinence in preparation for celebrating the Ascension. Traditionally, Rogation days are the three days before Ascension Day on which the litany is sung (or recited) in procession as an act of intercession.

The Ascension (May 13, celebrated May 16) is usually described as marking the completion of Jesus’ ministry on earth as he returned to Heaven. But it is far more than that. It marks the exact moment when Jesus, Son of God, commissioned his disciples to begin the gigantic task of converting the whole world. As recorded in St Mark’s Gospel, Jesus said: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned.”

Luke tells us that Pentecost (May 23) occurred a short time after the Ascension, and marked the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise, at his Ascension, to send the Holy Spirit on the disciples.

The gift of the Holy Spirit electrified these fearful followers – who only weeks before had run away when Jesus was arrested, and were still hiding for fear of those who had been responsible for their Lord’s death – and transformed them into men and women willing to lay down their lives for their faith, as many of them did.

The feast of Holy Trinity (celebrated May 30), though logically linked with the other two, was established much later. Although its existence was clearly stated in the New Testament, and early recognized as a doctrine of the faith, it was only when the Arian heresy – which denied Jesus was God – was spreading in the fourth century, that the church Fathers prepared an Office with canticles, responses, a preface, and hymns, to be recited at Mass. From these, the feast we now celebrate as Trinity Sunday gradually evolved.

Together, these latter three great feasts mark the promise which Jesus gave to his disciples, and its fulfilment in the Church on earth. As recorded by Matthew, the very last words Jesus said to his Apostles before going up to Heaven, were: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of time.”

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Trinity Sunday, 2021

Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday after Pentecost, honors the Holy Trinity—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Although the word “trinity” does not appear in Scripture, it is taught in Matthew 28:18-20 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 (and many other biblical passages). It lasts only one day, which is symbolic of the unity of the Trinity. 

Trinity Sunday is one of the few feasts of the Christian Year that celebrates a reality and doctrine rather than an event or person. The Eastern Churches have no tradition of Trinity Sunday, arguing that they celebrate the Trinity every Sunday. 

Understanding of all scriptural doctrine is by faith which comes through the work of the Holy Spirit; therefore, it is appropriate that this mystery is celebrated the first Sunday after the Pentecost, when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit first occurred.  

The Trinity is best described in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, commonly called the Nicene Creed. Essentially the Trinity is the belief that God is one in essence (Greek "ousia"), but distinct in person (Greek "hypostasis"). The Greek word for person means "that which stands on its own," or "individual reality," and does not mean the persons of the Trinity are three human persons. Therefore we believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are somehow distinct from one another (not divided though), yet completely united in will and essence. 

Read more… 

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The Importance of Trinity Sunday

Article from Building Faith – “Three Teaching Points of Trinity Sunday”

God is Love Because God is Trinity. “In the First Letter of John, we find one of the most comforting and profound claims about God, “So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is Love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” (I John 4:16). For this to be true, for God to be love, completely and perfectly, God must also be Trinity. For there to be love you need three things; the lover, the beloved, and the love or union shared between the two. Only in the revelation of God as Trinity can we see that God is love.  

The Trinity Is To Be Loved, Not Solved. “Look again at our verse from First John, “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.” John is not trying to help us solve a puzzle; instead, he wants us to see that the Triune God has created us so that we might share in his love, that we might abide in God and God in us.

The Trinity is the Central Mystery of the Christian Faith and Life “When we are baptized, it is in the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our prayer is Trinitarian in shape; for example, the collects in the Book of Common Prayer (BCP pg. 211) are addressed to the Father, through the Son, in unity with the Holy Spirit. Many of the postures we use in worship and prayer are Trinitarian; the sign of the cross, for example, invokes the Name of the Triune God. The whole of our lives as Christians is a participation in the mystery of the Holy Trinity.

Make a Gift Today! Help our ministries make a difference during the Pandemic 1. Newcomers – Welcome Page 2. Contact the Rev Catherine Hicks, Rector 3. St. Peter’s Sunday News 4. Server Schedule May, 2021 5. Latest Newsletter-the Parish Post (May, 2021) 6. Calendar 7. Parish Ministries 8. This past Sunday 9. Latest Sunday Bulletin (May 23, 2021 11:00am),  and Sermon (May 23, 2021) 10. Recent Services:  Easter 5, May 2 Readings and Prayers, Easter 5, Sunday, May 2 Easter 6, May 9 Readings and Prayers, Easter 6, Sunday, May 9 Easter 7, May 16 Readings and Prayers, Easter 7, Sunday, May 16

Block Print by Mike Newman

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Projects 

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Colors for Year B, 2020-21

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Daily “Day by Day”

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3-Minute Retreats invite you to take a short prayer break right at your computer. Spend some quiet time reflecting on a Scripture passage.

Knowing that not everyone prays at the same pace, you have control over the pace of the retreat. After each screen, a Continue button will appear. Click it when you are ready to move on. If you are new to online prayer, the basic timing of the screens will guide you through the experience.

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Follow the Star

Daily meditations in words and music.

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Sacred Space

Your daily prayer online, since 1999

“We invite you to make a ‘Sacred Space’ in your day, praying here and now, as you visit our website, with the help of scripture chosen every day and on-screen guidance.”

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Daily C. S. Lewis thoughts

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Saints of the Week, May 23, 2021 – May 30, 2021

23	Nicolaus Copernicus, 1543, and Johannes Kepler, 1543, Astronomers
24	Jackson Kemper, Bishop & Missionary,1870
25	Bede, the Venerable, Priest, and Historian, 735
26	Augustine, First Archbishop of Canterbury, 605
27	Bertha and Ethelbert, Queen and King of Kent, 616
28 28	[Mechtild of Magdeburg], Mystic, c.1282 John Calvin, Theologian, 1564
29
30	Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc), Mystic and Soldier, 1431

May 23 – 11:00am, Pentecost Holy Eucharist In person in the church or on Zoom. – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278

May 23 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom. This short service of prayer and music offers the opportunity to close the day in one another’s company as we place ourselves in God’s protection for the night. – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 878 7167 9302 Passcode: 729195

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May 24 – 6:30am – Be Still Meditation group in a 20 minute time of prayer Meeting ID: 879 8071 6417 Passcode: 790929

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May 26 – 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study through Zoom

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May 30 – 11:00am, Trinity Sunday Holy Eucharist

May 23 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

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Village Dinner May 12 – old and new favorites

We had Andrea’s baked fish, cabbage, yellow rice, sliced tomato and a new dessert from Catherine, a strawberry cake. 35 dinners were prepared.

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Projects in May

3 projects for you to support – one local in the Caroline County, one in the Episcopal Church and finally one which is international but which ties back to local roots. Most end in May thought one on Jamaica extends through much of June. Support one or more or all!

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St. Peter’s at 185

10 years ago in 2011, St. Peter’s celebrated its 175th anniversary. Today May 15, 2021 is the 185th anniversary of the consecration of the church in 1836. The photo shows various scenes of that day in 2011.

The sermon on the 175th anniversary was based on John 10 the good shepherd passage. Jesus says “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ”

From the sermon- “The gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd, and the sheep hear his voice. The point is –not who is in, and who is out, but whose voice the sheep listen to and follow. The voice of Jesus, the good shepherd. But there were warnings in John’s passage. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

The sermon continued – “Those thieves and bandits call out to us with voices that divide us—into those who are in and those who are out based on how much money we have, or what color our skin is, or what our political viewpoints are, or even what religion we are—whether Christians, or Muslims, or Jews, or Buddhists or Hindus—remember, all of humanity is in this sheepfold ”

“In 1814, Channing Moore became the Bishop of Virginia and he was, we are told, “an earnest and powerful preacher, able leader, loving and beloved, who was followed as a man sent from God. He awoke this diocese out of its lethargy and started it upon a career of growth and influence that has continued to the present day.

“Meanwhile, the people of Port Royal had resolved to build a church, and so St Peter’s was raised up on this city lot, and was dedicated 175 years ago to the day. Bishop Moore came here, on May 15, 1836, and consecrated this space, set it aside as a sheepfold in which the people of Port Royal could “come in and go out and find pasture,” following the voice and the teachings of Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd. ”

Secrets Over 185 years – Some personal thoughts.

1. Do the job that needs to be done in good times and bad. Carefully plan what you do. St. Peter’s came together over decades, not overnight.

2. Know your mission to do God’s will, united in love for God, one another and our neighbor. Never forget the mission! We have learned how to extend the pasture and our congregation is diverse.

3. Maintain the important links – close connection with parishioners and through them the community. We need the support of both.

4. Accept the generosity of parishioners. They live through what they give you and find meaning to their lives and enhance your life as well.

5. Tell your stories and retell. Relish in who you are and where we have been and never forget the blessings that have been received along the way.

6. Remember the past but don’t live in it. We can look back but can only move forward.

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Tucker’s Trip- May, 2021

Tucker in the Grand Canyon earlier in May. Not just “at” but “in”!

Follow Tucker’s travels through his Instagram site, main_adventure_life. The link is here

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“Thy Kingdom Come” is celebrating its 5 year anniversary in 2021. Since May 2016, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the people of Thy Kingdom Come have been bringing the world together in prayer. St Peter’s has been part of this international prayer initiative for several years.

In the gospel according to Luke, before Jesus ascended, he told the disciples to go to back to Jerusalem and await the coming of the Holy Spirit. They did as he asked, spent ten days absorbed in prayer as they waited, and the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost.

Through these prayerful disciples, the Holy Spirit brought the Church to birth. Following the example of these disciples, we can spend time in intentional prayer praying for people around the world to be filled with the Spirit and to come to know Jesus more fully.

So what we can do to participate ? Check the rest of the article

Quick link! – 2021 Video Series

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Pentecost, May 23, 2021

What is Pentecost? 

Pentecost literally means “fiftieth day.” As a religious celebration, it first delineated the fifty days after Passover with a harvest festival. It was also a celebration of the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, still celebrated in the Jewish tradition as Shavuot. 

In the Christian tradition, Pentecost marks the end of the 50 Days of Easter. In Acts 2, the apostles and friends are gathered together in Jerusalem. Suddenly there is a great rushing of wind, and tongues of fire rest on each of the apostles. They begin to speak in different languages, and the crowds around them, Jews from across the diaspora, having come to Jerusalem for the Festival of Weeks, understand them, although some disparaged them as drunks. It was at this moment that Peter stood up and preached, revealing the will of God in Jesus Christ, as prophesied by Joel, and affirming a continual outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon repentance and baptism. 

Why does Pentecost Matter? 

There are at least three reasons to start with:  

1. It marks the birthday of the church. Pentecost was a turning point. Before the rushing wind, the flames, and the speaking in tongues, the apostles were a group of followers who listened to Jesus and assisted as he helped those who came to him for healing and grace. Without Jesus, they were aimless and confused. After the Holy Spirit enters that room, after Peter preaches repentance and baptism, they no longer look inward. The end of Acts 2 records that they devoted themselves to the teaching and to fellowship, they performed wonders and signs, they gave to others in need…and the Lord added to their number daily those who were saved. 

The Holy Spirit gave the disciples direction and power to form the Christian community, which would become “the church.” So, Pentecost is a birthday, and some churches today celebrate with cake! 

2. Pentecost completes the Trinity. Christian theology is grounded in a doctrine of three in one, and Christians often pray in the “name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Pentecost was the first and definitive moment in which we can say that the Father sent the Holy Spirit to make the Son present. No Pentecost, no Trinity. 

3. Jesus kept his promise. In Matthew 28:20 Jesus told his followers, “I will be with you always, even until the end of the age.” He promptly ascended and was seen no more. What gives? Well, in John 15:26 he says, “I will send you the Advocate-the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me” (NLT). The point is: Jesus is present through the Holy Spirit. Pentecost marks the fulfillment of Christ’s promised presence. 

from buildfaith.org

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Pentecost – The quick version

Click here or on the picture above

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Pentecost, an ancient festival 

Pentecost was the second of the three great annual festivals of Israel, the others being Passover and the feast of Tabernacles. The festival was often called the feast of Weeks  because it took place seven complete weeks, or 50 days, after the Passover. Jews from all   over the world came to Jerusalem for this festival, more than for any other. The day  was one of solemn convocation when no work was to be done. The people offered the first loaves of fine flour made from the just harvested late grain crops. Other sacrifices were offered in the temple and a meal was prepared with freewill offerings from the people. To this meal the widows, orphans, the poor and the stranger were invited.  

By the early New Testament period, it had gradually lost its association with agriculture and became associated with the celebration of God’s creation of His people and their religious history. By the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, the festival focused exclusively on God’s gracious gift of Torah (the "Law") on Mount Sinai. It continues to be celebrated in this manner in modern Judaism.

On this festive day, in the year of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit was bestowed upon the apostles. In Acts, Luke describes the sound of a mighty rushing wind and the sight of tongues of flame resting on the head of each apostle. What a transformation took place in these men and women! They were truly “clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:29). Out into the crowd they went, boldly proclaiming the “mighty works of God”  (Acts 2:11). One of the gifts of the Spirit— the gift of tongues—enabled the polyglot crowd to hear the apostles speaking, each in his or her own language.  

Read more… 

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 Lectionary, May 23, Pentecost

I. Theme – The coming of the Holy Spirit  

 Window from St Aloysius’ church in Somers Town, London

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

First Reading – Acts 2:1-21
Old Testament – Ezekiel 37:1-14
Psalm – Psalm 104:25-35, 37 Page 736, BCP
Epistle –Romans 8:22-27
Gospel – John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 

Pentecost is a milestone in the story of salvation. It was on that day that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the believers in an upper room in Jerusalem as they awaited the baptism Jesus told them they would receive. Jesus had promised this event just before He ascended into heaven.

"And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

The symbol of fire is important for Pentecost.Fire has long represented God and the presence of his Holy Spirit. Fire consumes but is its own energy force. hat energy is around action and for the church, mission. Acts is about mission, about speaking, proclaiming, the good news to people everywhere, in languages (and language) they can understand. This is the day in which the mission of the church was given birth. 

Commentary by Rev. Mindi

The familiar passage of Ezekiel prophesying to the dry bones reminds us that breath, wind and Spirit are all connected. They are the same words in Hebrew, the same words in Greek. The wind from God comes over the waters and breathes life into creation. The breath of God breathes into the human being and the human being becomes alive in Genesis 2. And the Spirit gives new life, eternal life, beginning in Ezekiel and echoed in John 20 and Acts 2 and elsewhere in Scripture. The celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit is the recognition that the breath that gives us life also gives us eternal life, for breath, wind, and Spirit are from God. Ezekiel is given a task that seems impossible, but God is showing Ezekiel that even out of death new life can rise through the power of the Spirit.

The Psalm is a hymn of praise, offered in the course of Temple worship, probably at the Autumnal harvest festival, given its theme of creation. It is a poem praising God and celebrating the order, the balance and majesty of creation reflecting upon God’s mighty power. Psalm 104 speaks to the breath of creation and God’s wondrous work of breathing life into the world and all of creation. Not only do all things live and die, but God renews the face of the ground (vs. 30), breathing new life into the earth. We see this in the turning of the seasons year after year, but we also see this work in the re-creation after disaster. We see the waves reshape the beach after a hurricane; we see the forests regrow after fires and volcanic eruptions–life returns, new life is begun.

Acts 2:1-21 is the familiar Pentecost story by the author of Luke, where the disciples are gathered in Jerusalem, and the wind from God blows through the house they are gathered in. We all know the story. We use the color red to represent fire, the image of flames above their heads. But we really don’t know what the heck happened there. Why this happened in this place, at the spring harvest festival? What we do know is that this story opens the door for ministry outside of the disciples own people–God’s message is for all. And the vision of Joel is renewed–all people, young and old, slave or free, male or female–and as Paul will add, Jew or Gentile–have the opportunity to be filled with God’s spirit and participate in God’s reign and vision for new life.

Romans 8:22-27 reminds us that the Spirit helps us in the waiting time. Through our Lectionary cycle we relive the history of faith, and as we go into the season after Pentecost, we are in a great period of waiting. There are no more major church holidays until Advent. We have a long time of waiting, and in our lives and in the world, we are still waiting for Christ to return, for Christ to enter our lives in a new way. Through the presence of the Spirit–through the witness of God’s love by our love for one another, our work for God’s justice, and our work for peace–we live into God’s hope through the power of the Spirit. The Spirit helps us in this time of waiting, and continues to remind us God is not through with us, or the world, yet. God is continuing to do something new

John 15:26-16:15 explains the writer of John’s view that the Spirit’s work is not only to bring eternal life, but a newness of life now. We are called to testify to the light, as John shares in chapter 1, and our lives are to be that testimony, that living witness. How we live our lives shows whether we live with the Spirit within us. We are called to love one another, as Christ first loved us, and the witness of this love is our lives, which is full of the Spirit. If we do not love one another, we do not love God, and we do not live with the Spirit in our lives.

Read more about the lectionary…

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St. Peter’s Wild Flowers

Can you identify them ? Click here

From a series of pictures on Sun, May 2 when the sun was warming up and wild flowers were noticeable almost everywhere you stepped. They lay out before you.

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May 9, 2021 – Easter 6, Rogation Sunday and Mother’s Day

May 9 – 11:00am, Holy Eucharist,
In person in the church or on Zoom. – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278

• Description
• Easter 6 photos
• Easter 6 videos

May 9 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:45am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 878 7167 9302 Passcode: 729195

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May 10 – 6:30am – Be Still Meditation group in a 20 minute time of prayer Meeting ID: 879 8071 6417 Passcode: 790929

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May 12 – 10:00am – Ecumenical Bible Study through Zoom

May 12 – 5pm-6:30pm – Village Dinner. Baked fish, cabbage, yellow rice, sliced tomato and a surprise dessert. Call Susan Linne von Berg to make a reservation.

May 13 – Ascension

May 13 – Vestry, 4pm

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May 16 – 11:00am, Sixth Sunday in Easter, Holy Eucharist

May 16 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475

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Connecting the dots – Mother’s Day, Rogation and the Gospel this week

By Ruth Fray. Ruth is Director, Community Program and Public Life, Faith Formation & Education at Trinity Church Wall Street. 

“The Gospel this week seems to be made for Mother’s Day: it is all about love. Jesus embodies love and teaches love. “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

“When we imagine a mother’s love, we often think of it as unconditional, steadfast, and unwavering. Of course, we know that isn’t always the case. But when we try to envision a human way of loving that gives us a glimpse of what Jesus is calling us to, a mother’s love is a good place to start.

“The origins of Mother’s Day also resonate with the Gospel and our world today. Before the Civil War, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis, a faithful Christian in West Virginia, organized Mothers’ Day Work Clubs that sought to improve sanitary conditions. They raised money for medicine and helped families with mothers suffering from tuberculosis, among other supports.

“During the war, Ann Jarvis made sure the Mothers’ Day Work Clubs provided relief to both Union and Confederate soldiers. After the war, with tensions still high between those who fought on opposite sides, she “organized a Mothers’ Friendship Day…to bring together soldiers and neighbors of all political beliefs.” It was a great success despite the fear of violence.

“As we sort through the loss and pain from the pandemic amidst intense political and social division in our country, I often wonder, “What do we do now?”

Ruth’s question, “What do we do now ?” is to celebrate what has remained true, a source of inspiration and devotion. That is creation and in particular, the Land. God created the earth out a void without form and is the foundation of our life.

On this Rogation Sunday, we recognize our dependence upon the land for our food and most importantly upon our dependence of God for the miracles of sprouting seeds, growing plants, and maturing harvest.

And like the Pandemic there were disasters. The Rogation Days, the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Day, originated in Vienne, France in 470 after a series of natural disasters had caused much suffering among the people. Rogation takes place in the springtime, when there is a renewing of the earth. It takes place after the resurrection which also emphasizes renewal.

The Latin word ‘rogare’ means “to ask”, thus these were “rogation” processions. The tradition grew of using processional litanies, often around the parish boundaries, for the blessing of the land. These processions concluded with a mass. The Rogation procession was suppressed at the Reformation, but it was restored in 1559. The poet George Herbert interpreted the procession as a means of asking for God’s blessing on the land, of preserving boundaries, of encouraging fellowship between neighbors with the reconciling of differences, and of charitable giving to the poor. The tradition of ‘beating the bounds’ has been preserved in some communities.

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A Mother’s Day Poem – “To the Moms Who Are”

On Mother’s day we celebrate all mothers. The Bible is full of great mothers – Sarah: the mother who waited in the Old Testament to the New Testament, Elizabeth: the mother who believed in miracles and Mary: the mother who is blessed among Women.

This poem will be a part of our services today in honor of our mothers.

“To the Moms who are struggling, to those filled with incandescent joy.

“To the Moms who are remembering children who have died, and pregnancies that miscarried.

“To the Moms who decided other parents were the best choice for their babies, to the Moms who adopted those kids and loved them fierce.

“To those experiencing frustration or desperation in infertility.

“To those who knew they never wanted kids, and the ways they have contributed to our shared world.

“To those who mothered colleagues, mentees, neighborhood kids, and anyone who needed it.

“To those remembering Moms no longer with us.

“To those moving forward from Moms who did not show love, or hurt those they should have cared for.

“Today is a day to honor the unyielding love and care for others we call ‘Motherhood,’ wherever we have found it and in whatever ways we have found to cultivate it within ourselves.”

– Hannah Kardon, Pastor at Elston Avenue United Methodist Church

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Projects in May

3 projects for you to support – one local in the Caroline County, one in the Episcopal Church and finally one which is international but which ties back to local roots. Most end in May thought one on Jamaica extends through much of June. Support one or more or all!

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 Lectionary, May 9, Easter 6

I.Theme –   The Role of an Apostle

"The Word of Life mural"  –   Millard Sheets (1964)

The lectionary readings are here  or individually:

First Reading – Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
Psalm – Psalm 1
Epistle –1 John 5:9-13
Gospel – John 17:6-19 

Today’s readings examine the role of an apostle of Jesus Christ. In Acts, the eleven remaining apostles welcome Matthias as a witness of Jesus’ resurrection. The author of 1 John asserts that those who acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God will abide in God and God in them. In today’s gospel, Jesus prays for his followers’ sanctification in the truth of God’s word.

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 This passage recounts the choosing of another apostle to replace Judas. The early Church sought confirmation in the Old Testament for what Christians experienced, hence the application of the generalized descriptions in Psalm 69:25 and 109:8 to the specific case of Judas.

The choosing of 12 disciples as a special group seems to have been a sign of the coming age and of the new Israel. They are a distinct group whose numbers need to be restored after Judas’s defection.

In today’s passage, the company of believers picks out two candidates who fulfill the criteria and then they cast lots—an Old Testament custom to allow the operation of God’s will (see Proverbs 16:33). Matthias will share in ministry as the servant of the community and in apostleship as the missionary envoy of Christ.

Psalm 1 This psalm, with its call to a righteous life based on knowledge of the “law of the LORD,” the Torah, serves as a fitting introduction to all the psalms. It springs from the wisdom tradition, which emphasized how to live in both material and spiritual prosperity.

The righteous are those who have not taken the advice of the wicked, nor imitated their way of life, nor joined in their rejection of the law. They “meditate” (v. 2) upon it, literally, read it aloud in a low voice. The LORD is in intimate and personal relationship with the righteous.

1 John 5:9-13 Today’s reading includes the end of the discussion on the witness to the Son of God, a statement of the point of the epistle and its purpose and the first part of an appendix. The testimony of God was manifested in two ways: first, through God’s saving action in Jesus; second, through the result of that action—eternal life for the believer.

Verse 12 encapsulates the call to decision, toward which the whole letter has been leading. Verse 13 summarizes the epistle in a way similar to John 20:31. The appendix speaks of prayer “according to his will” (v. 14) as John does of prayer “in his name” (John 14:13-14 and 16:23-24).

John 17:6-19 Chapter 17 is known as the “prayer of consecration” or “high priestly prayer” of Jesus. He offers himself to the Father and speaks as high priest in offering intercession for others. Jesus’ ministry on earth is completed. He has revealed God to the disciples.

For John, this prayer is the expression of Jesus’ union and communion with the Father, spoken aloud before the disciples so that they may share that union. It is revelation as well as intercession.

Jesus prays for himself (17:1), for the disciples (17:9) and for future believers (17:20). He prays that the disciples may be kept safe from the world by the power of the name God has given him.

In John, the “world” (Greek, kosmos), means the universe under human direction, or more particularly human society. The world is not evil in itself. God wills to save it through Jesus.

The world is, however, oriented toward and dominated by evil, so that it comes to stand for those who reject Jesus. The disciples, and all Christians, “do not belong to the world” (v. 14). They do not have the world as their point of origin. They belong to God for they have been born anew.

The disciples—and all Christians—are consecrated, set apart, as Jesus was by his incarnation. This is not merely for self-purification but for mission into the world. The mission of the disciples, continuing the presence of Jesus, brings the world to judgment.

Read more…

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“Thy Kingdom Come” is celebrating its 5 year anniversary in 2021. Since May 2016, The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the people of Thy Kingdom Come have been bringing the world together in prayer. St Peter’s has been part of this international prayer initiative for several years.

In the gospel according to Luke, before Jesus ascended, he told the disciples to go to back to Jerusalem and await the coming of the Holy Spirit. They did as he asked, spent ten days absorbed in prayer as they waited, and the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost.

Through these prayerful disciples, the Holy Spirit brought the Church to birth. Following the example of these disciples, we can spend time in intentional prayer praying for people around the world to be filled with the Spirit and to come to know Jesus more fully.

So What we can do to participate ? Check the rest of the article

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Ascension, May 13

Biblical scholar Ronald Coleman wanted to be clear on Ascension -"We do not, as a matter of fact, believe that Jesus ended his earthly ministry with the equivalent of a rocket launch, rising a few hundred miles above the earth. Nor do we think Jesus was the first to be “beamed up,” to use the term made so familiar by the television series Star Trek."

The New Testament treats the Ascension as an integral part of the Easter event. 

It is the final appearance Jesus’ physical and resurrected presence on earth. It is the final component of the paschal mystery, which consists also of Jesus’ Passion, Crucifixion, Death, Burial, Descent Among the Dead, and Resurrection.

Along with the resurrection, the ascension functioned as a proof of Jesus’ claim that he was the Messiah. The Ascension is also the event whereby humanity was taken into heaven.  There is a promise he will come again.

So when is it ? The Ascension in Luke 24 is on Easter Sunday evening or, at the latest, the next day; in John 20, sometime between the appearance to Mary Magdalene (who is told not to touch the risen One because he has not yet ascended) and the appearance to Thomas (who is invited to touch him); in Acts 1, after the forty days (which, however, are symbolic of the time of revelation; there may be no intention to suggest that the ascension actually “occurred” on the fortieth day). We celebrate Ascension on the 40th day, this year Thursday May 13 or the closest Sunday, May 16. 

The main scriptural references to the Ascension are Mark:16:19, Luke:24:51, and Acts:1:2 and vvs. 8-10. Luke 24 says  "While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven". In Acts " he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen." Jesus commissions his followers, rather than simply blessing them; and we have an appearance from two men in white robes.

Mount Olivet, near Bethany, is designated as the place where Christ left the earth. The feast falls on  Thursday, May 13 and it is one of the most solemn in the calendar, ranking with the feasts of the Passion, Easter and Pentecost.

In disappearing from their view "He was raised up and a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9), and entering into glory He dwells with the Father in the honur and power denoted by the scripture phrase."

In a way, Jesus’ abandonment of the disciples upon the Mount of Olives is more profound than their abandonment on Calvary. After all, the disciples themselves predicted he would die. But no one could have imagined the Resurrection and the extraordinary forty days during which Jesus dwelled again with his friends. Forty days with the resurrected Jesus – appearing in the upper room, along the way to Emmaus, upon the beach at Galilee! Imagine their despair when this, the Jesus present to them in such an astonishing way, enters the Cloud on the Mount of Olives.

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Ascension as the beginning of the Church’s mission

The Ascension is the beginning of the church’s mission.

  1. It is powered by the Spirit 

  2. It is a call to be witnesses 

  3. It is worldwide is scope  

The Ascension holds the promise of Christ’s return.

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The Purpose of the Ascension:

A.  For Man’s Redemption

B.  For Jesus to be our Advocate

C.  So The Spirit Could Come

D.  To Prepare a place for Us

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The Ascension is about direction

1. Looking upwards

Where is heaven ? When the early church confessed that Jesus had ascended into heaven, the emphasis was not so much on a place – the emphasis was on God’s immediate presence. The church was confessing that Jesus had entered into the divine glory – that the risen Jesus now dwelt in the immediate presence of God. This may explain the meaning of the phrase, "a cloud took him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). Oftentimes in scripture, a cloud represents the shekinah glory of God, the sign of God’s presence (cf. Exo. 33:7-11; Mark 9:7).

This day reminds us that Jesus, our Risen Lord and Savior, is “beyond the bounds of time and space and free of their confinement, so he is able to be present everywhere at once.”

2. Heading downwards

Apostles are grouped together in Jerusalem awaiting their next step. "Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying…these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer. "

3. Setting outwards.   

This is an opportunity to reflect on the mission imperative of the church, the dangers of the church looking inward and the strength we gain from a Jesus now in the heavens who equips us for service 

The Ascension marks the exact moment when Jesus, Son of God, commissioned his disciples to begin the gigantic task of converting the whole world. As recorded in St Mark’s Gospel, Jesus said: "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned." This day reminds us that Jesus, our Risen Lord and Savior, is “beyond the bounds of time and space and free of their confinement, so he is able to be present everywhere at once.”

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Ascension Art: trying to make it visual.."

The Ascension has always been a challenge to understand through the scriptures. Artists have played a role in giving us a visual depiction of the event. They have been doing this for over a 1000 years.

Read more about Ascension art with a collection of 17 works …

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Our own Ascension art – St. George’s Ascension window

These are earliest windows produced for the church in 1885 and dedicated to Rev. Edward McGuire who served as rector her for 45 years from 1813-1858 and was the rector when the current Church was built in 1849. It was produced in Germany but we do not know the maker. There are three panels increasing the drama and focus. The window is the front of the church directly in front of parishioners.

The Ascension took place 40 days after the Resurrection when Jesus led the disciples to the Mount of Olives. He raised his hands, blessed them and then was lifted up until a cloud took him out of their sight. This is shown in the middle window. He is shown, arms raised, disappearing into a cloud with his feet and the hem of his clothes visible. His feet still show scars of the crucifixion.

Continue with the article and a photo gallery …

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